Twisted and Turned III: Edge of Forever
by ElfChef
Summary: 25 years later, Sookie's legacy as Queen is fortified; her rule uncontested but with half of her soul lost, her existence is a hollow eternity. Then Eric walks into her palace one day. Sookie will do anything to ensure their happily ever after but now Eric is a human with an aversion to the fang and no memory of his past life. How can she make him fall in love all over again?
1. Chapter 1

Before her rule, Queen Sookie knew she'd been a person who had an opinion or emotion about everything, no matter how slight, even her clothes. She remembered herself as a little girl when her father would have elite fashion designers create custom, opulent dresses for her birthday party every year.

They were always heavy, full of tulle, and pink or some other pastel color. She had always hated them. She hated the dresses, but had so loved the man who forced her to wear them. That girl was forever gone. With every day that passed, memories of that former life, the one where she'd been alive continued to fade into oblivion.

The Queen who stood before a mirror looking at her reflection had no idea where her clothes had come from or who had done her hair or her nails. Her eyes, so odd in their many shades of blue and green, stared back coolly. They were lined in jet black and her lids were artfully hued in smoky shades. Her hair was coiffed in a severe fashion that somehow complimented the shape of her face. Whomever had put her together knew what they were doing. Admittedly, she looked just as a great queen should.

"The car has arrived," Dorian announced, entering the room.

Sookie held out her hands as her coat was shrugged over her oyster-colored chiffon dress. Dorian dismissed the maid, and pulled on her white leather gloves and fastened her scarf. As like all those she ruled over, Dorian was a vampire. She was her assistant and managed her time as the Queen divided it amongst all three of her states.

Her father was Felipe De Castro, the vampire king of Nevada. He hadn't given her life, but he was the only father she'd ever known and he had made her what she was. Her origins were those of a vampire hybrid who was the living Queen of the Undead. She was part-Fae, and that attributed to some aspects of her unique physiology. She was also telepathic, but these days she spent so little time around humans that it didn't matter much. She was a genius and to her enemies, she was their worst nightmare.

Her title had been written in blood, but fortified by peace. That was why she alone was the sole Queen in the New and Old World to rule three separate territories. It should have filled her with as much pride as it did her father, but she had lost the ability to feel anything twenty-five years ago. If she had been silently hoping time would heal her, she had been was wrong. It hadn't. Oddly enough, it hadn't made it any worse.

Tonight Sookie had a meeting with her appointed General of the Louisiana, Bishop. During the drive, the ever-efficient Dorian filled Sookie in on the postings on the message boards and all the poll results of the many various posted issues.

In all her years of training and the time it took Sookie for ascend to the throne, and every experience she'd had in between, she had learned much. The one thing that stayed with her was the concept of a Republic. While she had reclaimed her first two states, the ideology never left her. It shaped her rule.

The message board that Louisiana and Arkansas used for their voting was still in place, and she enhanced it to include Oklahoma. With the exception of the soldiers and the generals, every vampire citizen under her control had a voice.

In her states, there were no vampires who kept other vampires under their control or protection. No longer were there sheriffs and the divisions of the areas. There was a single army and The Queen controlled it. Her soldiers acted as a police force. They patrolled the borders, enforced her laws, and protected her citizens. Conversely, the elected Prefects saw to the needs of the citizens directly. They informed her of any trends in the 'day to day lives' of vampires from their delegated states.

For instance, a vicious gang moved into Louisiana a few years back. Their insurrection began with killing off the current gang in a series of drive by shootings and street fights, and then came the drugs. The social effects it brought were so great that it had pulled vampires into the area from elsewhere. The Prefect of Louisiana, Indira, brought it to the Queen's attention. In conjunction with the local human police, Kale, the General of that state, removed them all with extreme prejudice.

"Prefect Rava has an emergency case he requests you to preside over while you are in the state." Dorian said.

Sookie nodded.

"He is en route now, but his estimated time of arrival will make us tardy for our flight to New York."

She had a standing date with Caspian. He would understand and tolerate tardiness as long as she came. With that in mind she gave another nod to Dorian. The car pulled in front of the General's home. Bishop was waiting and when she emerged, he bowed in greeting.

"Good evening, Your Grace."

"Bishop," She replied with a respectful nod of her head.

Barring anything major, Sookie only needed to see her generals once a month and, in those instances, they came to her. This time of year, with the annual VFL on the horizon, it was more frequent and it wasn't always possible for the hosting general to travel. . She would have like to have said that she kept the vampire football games out of sentimentality, but she hadn't. They had evolved from a dozen or so vampires in the backwaters of Louisiana playing monthly to a major event in the state. Ever the opportunist, she capitalized on it and used it as a means to unite her citizens in all three states.

Between the entry fees for each team, advertisements, and ticket sales, the games raised considerable revenue. It allowed her to offer a multimillion dollar championship prizes but more importantly it kept the taxes low. In fact as the revenue from the games increased she had been steadily able to reduce taxes by fifteen percent in the past decade alone. It made citizenship into her states, a very coveted thing.

In the past five years, teams from other states had been allowed to compete. It made things complicated, but again, it had the added purpose of socializing, lest she isolate herself. It also quelled all the talk that her methods of ruling made her monarchy appear weaker somehow.

Oddly enough, there had only been one instance of violence, which was impressive considering that vampires were gathered by the hundreds in one place and engaged in an aggressive game. While that altercation had resulted in serious injury, heavy fines, and a decade's long ban, it had been fairly small and not enough to have her consider barring outside states.

Since the games were going to be in Louisiana this year, Bishop was in charge. He laid out his security plans, shift rotation for the soldiers, and contingency plans. He was so efficient in his tasks that there wasn't much for her to add. Leaving no margin for error, she wound holes in his plans. The two were wrapping up with Rava finally arrived.

"Good evening, General."

"I am not expecting you," the ever-direct Bishop said.

"I am," Sookie replied. "Should Bishop be present?"

It was his house, but Sookie was Queen. If Rava wanted him absent for this discussion, then absent Bishop would be.

"Yes, Your Grace," Rava replied. "I have a report of brutality perpetrated by a soldier, a Captain," He said. "He raped a female, Ashley Bynam. Her citizenship is approved, but not yet finalized, and he threatened to have it revoked if she reported his crimes."

"Who?" Bishop asked.

"Desh."

Bishop dialed the number with vampire speed. "My house, now," He growled the instant the phone was answered.

Sookie ran through the roster of soldiers and she attached a face to the name. Desh was young, but powerful, if only a little hotheaded. Before he was Captain, he had been reported enough times for excessive force and assault against other soldiers that he had been brought before her. She warned him that the next time their paths crossed, she had better be congratulating him on a promotion; otherwise she would take his badge, his citizenship, and quite possibly his life.

Desh, indeed, rose to Captain with acts of bravery when there had been a deranged Werewolf shaman on the loose ten years prior. Sookie recognized smugness in his expression at the time of his warning, but no hint of anything else that indicated capabilities for this kind of behavior.

Generals evaluated the soldiers regularly. Outside of being known for being a jerk, nothing in his personality profile suggested Desh would offend in this manner. To double check what she already knew, she held her hand up and out. Dorian placed her electronic tablet in it. She read all through Desh's personnel file. It held his origins, his past violations, and all other pertinent information about the Captain. He got into fights with other soldiers that were stronger or older in the beginning.

When Sookie brought up the image of the victim in question, it became clear someone wasn't being honest. Ashley Bynam was only thirty years into her undead life and had been only seventeen when she had been turned. Sookie was older than the vampire in question and at only fifty-four-years-old that was saying a good deal.

Truthfully, she just didn't see it. It was clear that Bishop didn't either. The things Sookie did to soldiers that thought to abuse their power was horrific, even by vampire standards. Everyone knew that. So why would he do this, and then leave his victim alive? It made little sense, but be that as it may…

"The victim, she is here?" Bishop asked.

Rava nodded. "I do not believe she will be able to face him. It took much persuasion for her to give me his name."

They waited for Desh. He arrived at the house and when he entered, Bishop turned to her with a brow raised. The reason was obvious. If Desh had been guilty, the Captain would have run. It wouldn't have done him much good and he wouldn't have gotten very far, but it was what a guilty person would do. The Captain had raced over in record time. No one spoke to him and he knew better than to ask questions.

"Prefect, bring me the claimant," Sookie ordered. "Tell her Justice awaits, she has but to claim it."

With a bow he left. Still, no one spoke to Desh and still, he remained silent even as Bishop took his weapons. His eyes were fixed on the door. The Queen's eyes were fixed on him. Sookie saw all she needed to see the instant Ashley entered the room. She recorded Desh's facial expressions and could identify them as confusion.

"Desh."

"Your Majesty," he replied coolly turning to face her.

"In violating this female," Sookie waved her hand to Ashley. "You have broken your oath to me, an act of treason. Your sentence is the True Death to be carried out immediately."

His expression cleared him, but she showed no signs of this, not even as he tried to implore her.

"Your—"

Bishop was already at his back. He kicked his legs out from under him and held him face down on the ground. Rava handed Ashley the sword Bishop had taken from Desh. She held it awkwardly. The closer she got to Desh, the more trouble she had looking at him. Sookie watched blandly and waited for this farce to reach its inevitable end.

"I see this is difficult for you," Bishop said.

She nodded with bloody tears rimming her eyes.

"Then allow me to be of service," Bishop let go of Desh's hands and placed his around his neck. Bishop was built like he could tear off your head with his bare hands. He could, in fact, do just that. She'd witnessed it and that was exactly what he looked as if he was about to do now.

"Mercy!" Ashley said facing the Queen. "I beg her Majesty's mercy."

Sookie knew that she should feel something at watching this. After all it wasn't everyday vampires showed this much expression and rape was a horrible thing for any female to endure. She knew that, but it was all fact, there was no emotion to accompany it.

"The only thing I have less of than mercy is time," She waved for Bishop to carry on and it was then that the victim broke.

"It wasn't him!" she shouted. "He just told me to say that, but it wasn't! He didn't do it!"

"Who?" Rava asked.

"Caleb," Ashley sobbed. "He said if I did not do as he said he would have me deported, and he had friends that would find me and do worse to me every night until forever."

It was times such as these that Sookie knew she was really nothing but clockwork inside. Her thoughts weren't on the deep, personal pain or the shame that was common for rape victims. All Sookie could think of was how anyone had thought such an asinine threat to be credible.

For what Caleb thought was a just a pawn, he wouldn't invest that much time. He would just end her. Sookie just didn't understand it. The Queen dismissed Ashley. Rava looked as if he thought about touching her as he led her from the room. It was an immense sentiment coming from one vampire to another of no blood relation. That confused her more as she watched them go.

Bishop helped Desh up. Neither of them spared a second in remembrance of the fact that two seconds ago, the general had his hands around his neck and knee in his back. This matter needed further investigating, but she didn't have the time nor the emotional faculties, it seemed.

"Bishop," she called, getting to her feet.

"My Queen?"

"Would you need my Special Investigator or can you see this through?"

It was her assumption that Caleb didn't just want Desh gone just for a chance to be Captain. If that was the case he would have used other, less aggressive means, discredit him, show him up or slight sabotage. He had done something incredibly bold. What Sookie needed to know about were the friends that he used to threaten one of her citizens and she told Bishop so.

"You have my word, I will find out all there is to know and Caleb will face justice."

Sookie had no doubt in Bishop's abilities even under the current weight of his other many duties in overseeing the games. He and Desh walked her out. "How would you like Ashley punished?" She asked the Captain.

"I do not," he said as if baffled. "She was attacked and coerced."

Another one of those moments where she couldn't understand how someone was missing something so obvious, so logical, and so crucial.

"She falsified a report to her Prefect, she bore false witness in a trial, and she stood in the presence of her Queen and lied," Bishop explained. His tone made all those things sound like the capital offenses that they were.

"She also wasted a good deal of Her Majesty's time," Dorian added, though that wasn't a punishable offense.

Desh was deliberating, but Sookie had no more time. She made the decision for him as she saw Rava and Ashley.

"Your Grace, I should have questioned her further. My apologies."

Sookie nodded her head deeply at him to both dismiss his words and assuage any worry he may have. "You did exactly what you were assigned."

It wasn't a compliment. It was the truth. His job wasn't to investigate or interrogate. He was supposed to listen to the people and bring her their concerns. The end.

"You," Sookie said facing Ashley. "You insulted me."

She took a knee immediately with her head bowed. "Forgive me."

Were she looking for blood, the young vampire's immediate and total show of subservience would have appeased Sookie. She was looking to send a message.

"On your feet," The Queen ordered.

Automatically Ashley obeyed.

"You trusted the words of a person who harmed you without provocation and disregarded a promise made to you in blood by your Queen. This cannot go without consequence."

Fear. Sookie watched as it took over the features of the younger vampire. If she was afraid, then this single act of intimidation should be more than enough to prevent anything of this nature from reoccurring. This wasn't about Ashley. It was about the integrity of the system Sookie had set in place to protect every vampire in her monarchy. The only reason she was walking away with her life was because Sookie didn't have the time in her schedule for a trial and an execution.

"Your punishment for the slight is as follows; sixty days in the prison of the General, after which you will be placed on house arrest for ninety days. Thereafter you will adhere to a curfew that prohibits you to be out on any given streets four hours before dawn on any given night, barring imminent threat to your personal safety, for a full year. Lastly, you will pay reparations to Captain Desh in the amount of a quarter years' salary, in the amount of…"

"Twenty seven thousand and twelve dollars," Dorian chimed in.

"This can be paid over a period of seven years without interest."

Sookie levitated off the floor and flashed well into Ashley's personal space faster than she could follow. She allowed the predator to leak from her eyes. When Sookie had been younger, it was effective in making people see she was dangerous. Now, with her soul missing it petrified vampires, and seemed to suck the life out of humans. Ashley was getting the full force of it at point blank range.

Sookie saw her cringe into the car to get away. Beside her, Rava inched a fraction of a step away from her, like she mentioned, his duties only went so far. Every one of her subjects knew she was powerful but not knowing exactly how, was what they feared most. Over the years she was rumored to be a demi-god and a Titan. She has done nothing to quell any of them.

"I will make you another promise, Ashley Bynam. If you ever do anything of this sort ever again, I will have you carved into a thousand parts before I cook you in the sun. Do you understand me?"

Ashley nodded her head, and Sookie knew it was because her fear was making words hard. The Queen backed away and returned to her vehicle where Bishop was holding the door open and Dorian was waiting.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** It feels truly great to be back. I am already seeing so many familiar faces on the review page: Murgatroid-98, EricsFae, Buddahs53, Redjane12, Rikku Ree, and Kyeager6 to name a few. I can't explain how much it means that even before I had the confidence to share my stories so many others had faith in my ability to write. Sorry for all those times I made your eyes bleed. :D but it's faithful readers like you that makes writing feel like the outlet I now crave. Thank you and I hope I am making you proud to be a fan of mine.

On another note, if you know any one who follows on WP alone, if you can please let them know that I will be delayed in getting this story over there. Such as my life is at the moment, it is all I can do to write. FF is familiar and easier for me to upload and update on. That is not say that is the best platform. It is just what I'm used to.

* * *

Sookie had been laying there on the train tracks for some time with her eyes turned up toward the starry night and crescent moon. She saw it and again tried in vain to drum up any emotion about it, anything at all even a subjective view point. She asked herself if she liked it or disliked it. The response, she was indifferent.

Now, if she contemplated how it would affect any two-natured she might need to kill, she had all kinds of ideas. They would be weaker. They wouldn't fight indoors. That was how her mind worked. She could recall a time when it didn't. Even with those memories clearly intact, she could barely mimic that which had once come so easily.

Relief would come soon. Already Sookie could hear the train. It was close, but not close enough. Even at this distance the vibrations of the megaton cargo freight didn't quite drown out the hum of the black hole that had taken residence in her chest. It wasn't until she could see its light and the earth and her bones rattled was she free, if only for one fleeting moment.

The Queen wasn't exactly sure when she became suicidal. Even as she had the thought she didn't really think she was, but then why else would anyone, even a part-vampire someone engage in this sort of behavior? She didn't know. It just happened. In the wee hours of the morning after she had concluded her business, after all the vampires in her state had gone to ground, and the world at large was asleep, she had gone for a walk to track her territory and something in her soul knew she wouldn't come back. Then she saw the train.

She'd raced it and had been racing the old behemoth every chance she got. She always won, but it was because she was fast. It was also because she didn't know how to lie down and await defeat. This ritual was two years old now and with every run she was getting slower. She would lie down on the tracks, and then at the last moment, she would roll off.

No matter how much time had passed or what new philosophies she'd adopted over the years, lying down and accepting death was not an option. It went against everything she was raised to believe. Sookie lay there with her thoughts as the train bore down on her. The conductor wouldn't see her. There would nothing to save her but herself.

All she had to do was give in. It was true that she felt physical pain but that would be worth it. She just had to give in and as the hollowness faded with the thunderous noise of the train so close, the earth quaking, her bones rattling, and the poisonous thoughts were almost just as loud, but the memory was there. The memory always came to drown out the weakness. Sookie knew that if she could just block that one lesson it would end. She couldn't.

_"__Daddy," Sookie the princess had called._

_Felipe murmured an absent reply. Sookie had been maybe ten or eleven and they were engaged in a game of chess that was intense, yet seemingly inert. She might have been a genius, but he was a Master planner. _

_"__Surrender is against the code. It would shame the Crest." She had asked. "But I must always operate within the scope of reason, so what if surrender is the only logical choice?" _

_"__Surrender and defeat are not the same thing," He'd replied to her. "Unlike defeat, surrender is intangible and is a matter of choice. If delivered properly, it is also the greatest illusion in a game of war." Her father told her. "Defeat, however; it is very real and because you are a princess, defeat means death. It is also because you a princess that you must face that death on your feet." _

So as The Queen felt the light of the train wash over her, she rolled over and away from the path of the train. It looked as though she was going to live another night.

Sookie couldn't describe what she did as sleep. Despite her mind being ever-working and her emotions cold, she never had to struggle with sleep. It might be another thing her body had taken control of because her heart and mind couldn't be trusted to ensure her survival. When she was supposed to or when her body dictated that she should, she went out like a light. She no longer panicked when the suffocating feeling set in.

The first time it happened Sookie hadn't slept for two weeks. Instead of worrying about dying, she had been convinced she was going mad. Then it happened. Her body had chosen self-preservation. She truly thought that she was somehow suffocating out in the open. She passed out. When she came to, she was rested and operating at maximum efficiency. She supposed it was much like her father had told her when she was a little girl; want had nothing to do with the need for sleep. That manner of rest brought with it oblivion, from her past and her current emptiness.

When she came to, it was near dark and even before her eyes opened, the Queen of three knew that she wasn't alone in her bed. Her father had rearranged her in his lap. He was running his fingers through her hair as he had when she had been a baby. The memories were there. Her memories of him and Eric were the most potent. Cas had said that it was because one was her first love and the other was her last. Since the last love was gone she couldn't fully confirm or deny his theory.

"Do you remember when you jumped from the roof the house?" Her father asked her softly.

Sookie nodded. The physical pain of that event wasn't one that was easily forgotten. That was the one thing she could recall with ease, anything physical. Her father knew that so perhaps now she would get the core of his visit.

Sookie had been five when she had jumped off the roof the main house thinking it would activate her ability to fly like most of her vampire family. Sai had been babysitting that night and he hadn't done a thing to stop her. He just let her plummet and break every bone and rupture every organ in her little body. If not for the daily dose of vampire blood her father had been giving her, she would have died. She remembered when her father had kept her close for a long time after that. She had enjoyed it greatly. She also remembered something else, something that she hadn't ever before.

Felipe had lost his temper that night.

_"__How could you let this happen?" He'd shouted at Sai._

_"__She had to learn," Sai said and the careless shrug in his voice was palpable._

_"__Look at her, Sai're!" Her father had growled. "Does this not trouble your conscience, your sense of duty? She is a baby, your baby sister."_

_"__She is your infant human pet!" Sai're had spat. "She blinds you and that is why she must learn that there are things that not even you can grant her." _

_"__So you allowed her to fall three stories? You expect me to believe that there was nothing else you could have done to teach her this same lesson. No, you did this just to hurt her." _

_"__No!" Sai snapped furiously. "I don't care about hurting her." _

_There had been silence and with every moment that passed the King's rage filled it. "It was to hurt me." _

_The silence continued. _

_"__You told me you forgave me. You swore, and even after you harmed Oliver and Lysander in the beginning, I thought it nothing but sibling rivalry. I sent them away for you. This…it is indefensible." _

_There had been more silence. _

_"__Look at her, Sai're," The King had ordered._

_It was an edict though as a child she hadn't known that then. Looking back now she could hear the authority in it. _

_"__Look at her. She is barely clinging to her life. She is half of my heart, she is blood, and you did this to her. You have abused my trust and betrayed your own blood."_

_Sai must have looked, Sookie thought, the tenor of his voice was like nothing she had heard ever before or since. "I thought she would fly," He said. "Unlike me, she seemed to be everything you deemed perfection. When I saw her jump I never for an instant thought she would hit the ground." _

In over fifty years of life Sookie never recalled these details. It was strange because she had recalled the roof incident several times. The parts that were familiar to her played through her mind. This was part of a memory that was buried deep, mostly likely underneath the pain and drugs of the incident. Why were they surfacing now?

She looked into her father's eye and saw that he looked as he did when Sookie had finally regained consciousness after the fall. He hadn't been able to touch anything but her hair. Everything else had been broken, bandaged or bruised. He had looked so sad and she had felt guilty. He looked sad now. It was something she had done, of that she had no doubt.

"I'm sorry, Daddy," She said. "Forgive me, please."

Sookie tried to recall everything about emotion that she had been trying so hard to master. It was always hardest with him; she knew that no one loved her more than her father. She tried, she did her very best to mimic when it came to family but she always fell short. Felipe never spoke on it, but from what she knew of her life with him, he always knew. He and Nim, knew just how deeply broken she was.

"There is nothing to forgive," He replied. "Also, I am very sure you have no idea why you are apologizing. You read my expression and are now simply acting accordingly."

She nodded. "Yes. That wasn't wrong of me, was it?" It was what she did with everyone else. True, she shouldn't treat her family like the masses and she didn't. She just had no other means of pretending.

He smiled and shook his head. "No, baby," he cooed. "That is what vampires do. We have to be so far removed from our primal side as to be safe to be around mortals that we shut away emotions entirely over the ages."

"True, but vampires can feel if the ties are strong enough. They can mimic it when there is need," Sookie confessed. "I fail at this, despite my best efforts. Even you, a great king, you feel nothing for many but you can read emotions, guess their cause, and even anticipate emotional responses to your actions…I am oblivious even when it is laid open for me."

"I know you still feel physical pain."

Then he pinched her arm until the pain reached such volumes that she was forced to pull the appendage away from him. He smiled and she stared back blankly.

"That was painful," She commented.

"My point exactly, you looked somewhat annoyed."

"Did I?" she asked.

Sookie looked toward the mirror and, ever the practical creature, the king pinched her again and Sookie saw it. Her expression that she thought was bland wasn't. There was a slight furrow to her brow and her features looked pinched. They did this a few times and she felt a niggling of something after being pinched several times. It was akin to annoyance or dislike.

"That is a new development," The pain faded and she watched her features return to the cool mask. "I wonder if there has been some kind of dissociative—"

"Back to my point," The King interrupted. "If your body can feel pain and provide an emotion, then perhaps you could feel pleasure too, and it could provide other more positive emotions. It could ease you or even mend what is broken in you. Have you tried taking a lover?"

Sookie shook her head. "No."

To think of taking a lover, you had to feel the hunger for things that a Lover would sate. She had none. The door opened and Sai're walked into her bedroom. It seemed as though he had only come to check on the King, but he didn't leave. After his customary scowl aimed at Sookie, he took a winged back arm chair in the corner and made himself comfortable, if only a little annoyed.

"No, you will not consider it? Or no, you haven't taken one?"

"The urges are nonexistent," She replied.

"What of having a child?" Sai're suggested.

Sookie and her father looked at the Moor and he shrugged with their prolonged stares. "I have witnessed an infant turn the most reasonable and steadfast vampire I have ever known into an emotional jumble. If you bore the child, it would change at least change your body."

Sookie couldn't feel shock, but she saw it on her father's face. Meanwhile she tried to think through what her eldest brother's idea would mean. Even if a child could help her, where would she find one? She wasn't married and no suitable male could impregnate her. It wasn't just that. A marriage to a vampire royal would take years that she knew she did not have.

"You haven't had a birthday party in over twenty years," The King murmured as if that had been the most blasphemous thing he had ever heard. "And you are turning fifty-five in four months."

Sookie looked at her father and could practically see the wheels turning in his head. "Perhaps sending out notices to suitable husbands would be more efficient. Fin can compile a list," Sookie suggested. "I am preparing for my games, a fitting party would—"

Felipe waved his hand in an elegant, yet dismissive manner and Sookie knew there was nothing to change the course. Queen though she was, he was still her father; a fact that he reminded her of as often as he felt necessary. Now was one of those times.

"A party will be a splendid idea," He was out of bed and pulling her up with him. "Lysander will come out of retirement to perform for you. I will invite every single royal and vampire of worth from the world over. It will be grand."

Of that she had no doubt.

* * *

**Closing notes:** I have a question for you all. I can put out five or six chapters with the next update but of course it will mean a wait of at least a week or I can do it every other day. The reason I am considering the former is that some people, myself included like to get the feel and flavor of a story before they get too invested. Nothing wrong with that but as I mentioned there will be a lapse. My vote; MONSTER POSTING! What's yours?


	3. Chapter 3

**OPENING NOTES:** Hello all. Thank you all for coming out to show your love and support. As I thought, monster postings won by a land slide. I am sorry for those that prefer daily updates...self control anyone? This week will be six chapters and I know I will miss out of reviews but I want to get the story rolling. I will try to go no more than a week without posting. I am working with the lovely ms. Buffi as always and together I am sure we can make that happen! So let's set a date for next Friday, same time? See you then!

* * *

"So you are going to get married because you believe having sex would help?" Caspian asked Sookie. "That seems kinda extreme."

They were having dinner together at his house, and the topic of her birthday was raised so she had explained how it had come about. Their standing dinner dates he had insisted upon were the only times that she didn't have to try to emulate the one thing she didn't have. She could ask him to explain every frown or smile and Caspian did without being hurtful because he could see into her.

"It is my father's theory that if I feel pain, then I can feel pleasure and it could help," She explained.

"Why do you have to get married? Why not just find a bedmate?"

"Sex is just one half of it, my brother believes that having a child would give me…" she wasn't really sure what. Sai're never really explained.

"Something to live for," Caspian completed for her.

"The hormonal changes that come with pregnancy have the capacity to impact me greatly," She explained. "I might be able to forge some kind of bond or connection with my offspring which may in turn alleviate the hollowness."

Caspian was silent for a few minutes. She couldn't be sure what he thought about the idea. He wasn't smiling so she had very few guesses. "What is your opinion?" Sookie asked him.

Caspian shrugged and scrubbed a hand over his face before replying. "It is morally reprehensible to burden a baby with the responsibility of saving its mother, but I would offer if I thought it would help you. Sharing a child with you would be a blessing because there is no one I love more."

"But you do not believe it will save me?" Sookie asked point blank.

Caspian stared at her for a long time. His gaze was intense and unmoving. It wasn't until his eyes began to lose focus did he respond.

"No," he told her. His voice was almost dreamlike as he tapped into one of his Fae abilities. "You are the same…but you are divided somehow."

"Broken," Sookie agreed.

"No…more like all aspects of you have substantially separated."

That was odd and unexpected. "In what way?" she asked.

If she was going to be unable to function at maximum efficiency, she would like to know as to better plan for her weaknesses.

"It isn't your loyalty to your family that keeps you tethered to this world. I think it is sheer defiance. You are stubborn, and that stubbornness is rooted deep down in your soul, whatever is left of it anyway. I do not even believe you are capable of taking your own life at this point."

Sookie had been correct with her initial thought. She had become dissociative. Caspian leaned in closer to her with an awed kind of expression that she knew well. He was a scientist and he was looking at her as if she was an atom that was missing a proton.

"You are in so many pieces…it is amazing, I wish you could see it. There are so many things that you have come into contact with that you can't process. They are just floating around in there."

He poked her sternum. Her first reaction was to look down, but of course she saw nothing, and she certainly felt nothing.

"Your body is detached from your mind, only linking the autonomic functions it seems. Your mind has parted ways from your heart entirely, and your heart from your soul. What is left of your soul is still yearning for the other half though."

That prognosis sounded bleak, but, of course, Sookie felt nothing about it. It certainly explained much, her sleep for one, and then there was her ability to feel physical pain, but nothing else.

"This information would have been useful a week ago. Now it will be too late to stop my father. He is set on making my birthday party a spectacle of epic proportions." The amount of time that it was taking from her duties was bordering on unreasonable.

Caspian laughed and threw his arm around her. "I am looking to test the inhibitors we cooked up so… I have no sympathy. Plus you once told me that your father throws the best parties."

Sookie looked at Caspian's perfect teeth, the way his lips curved, and wondered what it would be like to look like that again. She knew better than to imitate the utter happiness that seemed to roll off her best friend. She also knew that she would never feel that happy again. No one reminded her of what she had lost like Caspian. It was why she kept him so close. Caspian would ensure that she never forgot even if she couldn't remember what she was forgetting. It was there in him.

Despite the sudden and rampant party planning that had taken over an unforeseen amount of her time, Sookie still saw to her routine duties. After she left Caspian, Sookie went on to Arkansas to see Kale. This visit was unscheduled, but if he was as good as he should be he would see her coming. He didn't, and that was a first. On the private tarmac were three of her soldiers, and they took a knee while she deplaned.

"Where is General Kale?" Sookie asked as she waved for them to rise.

"There has been tension between the long-standing Were pack and the growing shifter clan in the area. The General is at a meeting between the two in an effort to keep the peace."

This was the second time she was hearing about two-natured troubles in this state. Aggression peaked very quickly with the species, especially the males, so though fighting was very common, it was often small and contained. When leadership changed hands and there were casualties, it was minimal and the groups cleaned up after themselves. This was nothing of the sort and if it erupted, the shifters and the Weres wouldn't be able to contain it. Humans would undoubtedly get dragged in and so would vampires. That was unacceptable.

Upon entry into the state, all vampire citizens knew that any unsanctioned aggression against any supernatural creature would result in immediate expulsion. They left the Weres alone and the Weres knew better to touch her citizens. Sookie had never had any issues, but she had foreseen it, although to their credit it hadn't happened as soon as she had calculated. The Queen didn't understand emotion, but she understood power plays and they were rampant in the two-natured communities as they became more organized.

It was no longer a case of a dominant male rising to challenge his Alpha for the right to lead the pack. It was an Alpha looking to spread his territory across half the state and taking down the twelve other Alphas in his way. One ambitious young shifter, Jackson Kincaid, was taking it to the next level. He had risen as a uniter of the shifters and he was looking to add the Weres to his rule.

"Take me to him."

Sookie rode with two of the soldiers and Dorian beside her while Galleon and Otto followed in another car. During the short drive, the Queen set her plan in motion. When all the pieces were in place, she had Dorian connect a call to General Kale.

"I wish to address the leaders of the Two-natured," Sookie said when the lines connected.

"Yes, Your Grace."

Kale must have traveled a little way from the meeting to take the call because the minute he got in range Sookie could hear the shouting. She could see that several people had left their human forms, teeth were bared, and claws were out. A clash was imminent.

"Get the fuck out of here, leech, this has nothing to do with you!" Someone snarled at Kale.

"My Queen is on the line. She wishes to address the leaders present."

A strange and sudden hush fell over the area as Kale placed his video phone on speaker for them. "In actuality this message is for all of you."

Sookie could see them and they could see her while Kale set his phone in place. Her face was also projected from the device. There was no cloak. Sookie didn't attempt to cover the soullessness in her eyes nor did she cage the predator within. The entire room saw it. Many of them were afraid, and that was good because that meant no one would do anything unwise.

"The presence of my General at your accord suggests that your actions have a propensity to negatively affect my vampire citizens."

"This has nothing to do with vampires, Kale is here as a courtesy. He can leave," That came from Jackson Kincaid. "In fact, he's worn out his welcome."

"In the interest of my people, I must insist that you draw a peace treaty immediately. If you do not, then I will be forced to intercede and my methods of problem solving are very definitive."

Sookie's words were a threat, and it was met with growls of aggression, defiance, or fear. She couldn't tell.

"All this cowardly wolf has to do is fight Jax!" The words resulted in shouts of outrage from the Weres and rallying cries from the shifters. The speaker, a female whom Fin identified as Shelia Owens, was the known Omega in the shifter clan.

"What I mean by definitive is that I solve problems in such a manner that they will never again arise."

Then the Queen sent the mass text messages and heard as the message hit their intended recipients, all of whom were in the area she was addressing. There was a scream as one woman checked her phone. She was a Were named Chelsea, and she was looking at the picture of her son Mattie as he slept in his bed. She was the first. Aggression turned to pure panic and terror, and it engulfed the area like a wild fire. A few tried to make calls to verify the safety of loved ones but Fin had jammed the lines.

"I will kill you all," Sookie explained calmly. "I will kill half of your children. Then I will select families at random from both sects. I will kill wives, husbands, lovers, Facebook friends, parents, and grandparents. I will incinerate your family trees so that even if I live forever, not a single bud will bloom from the ashes when I am through."

"We'll leave," The Omega said, making her way to the head of the table to stand in front of Jackson who seemed unable to look away from the phone.

The fact that the shifter clan "Denned" their young made things easier for Sookie, her soldiers had all ten of them surrounded and they had torches in hand. That was the image all the shifters who had received the text message were seeing.

"We'll never come this far north again, just please…don't do this," Tears were streaming down her face as she begged. "Jax will never leave his territory or he'll step down. Whatever you want, but please…please don't hurt the cubs. Tell her, Jackson!"

"I won't," He said.

The Omega had finished her appeal. Both she and her codefendant had spoken. This was like any other trial of a vampire in her state who landed in legal trouble. The truth was that before any vampire found themselves on trial they had already been judged by Sookie. That was why Sookie had her database. It wasn't a matter of defenses. Rather she could formulate who would be a problem given their pattern of behavior. Listening to the noise that escaped the mouth of this shifter was a mere formality. When it was over Sookie replied.

"That is not agreeable to me," Sookie said. She infused her voice with enough authority that it crushed any and all hopes any of them had. "The retreat of the Iron Claw shifter Clan is not an option, and neither is the surrender of the United Evergreen Were Packs. I must insist on a peace treaty between the two. Set whatever terms you wish, but you have one hour to comply."

Sookie disconnected the call.

"Have you sent my father the choice of the ice sculptures?" she asked Dorian.

Dorian cringed into her seat and shook her head. It was then Sookie realized she was bare. The predator was still there in her eyes. She covered it with a cool veneer. Dorian cleared her throat needlessly.

"We are scheduled to look over the designs at midnight when the lighting choices arrive," She replied.

"We will do it now while we wait. The lighting will center on it."

"Yes, Your Grace."

Sookie filled her time efficiently as she waited for the Weres and shifters to run out the time clock that she had set. As she sat in the car she was able to get through much of party planning decisions. The guest list included the Prince of Darkness himself, though he hadn't yet sent his R.S.V.P.. Sookie was in the middle of revising the seating arrangements when she and Dorian were interrupted by General Kale.

"Forgive me, Your Grace."

"Kale, Good evening," Sookie said with a nod. She added what she thought was a polite smile. She had done it properly because he returned it; though he seemed a bit slow to do so.

"Yes, Your Grace. It is, thanks to you," He said. "I have the treaty. It has been signed by all the high ranking members of the Were and shifter clans," He told her. "Both races made it a law for their people."

Dorian held out her hand, and it was only after the assistant read the treaty and added a few notations on the document did she then pass it to Sookie. It eliminated bloodshed in any capacity. The Weres and the shifters had divided the state in half. The Weres of any race would take the East, and the shifters would rule the West. The Queen would rule over them all. It wasn't as definitive as Sookie would have preferred, but this quelled the imminent threat. With a little fine tuning, the treaty would hold for the foreseeable future.

"Inform them that this is acceptable to me," Sookie told General Kale.

"Yes, Your Grace."


	4. Chapter 4

Sookie could come up with several main reasons and many sub-reasons why this party was no longer necessary. She was turning fifty-five. It wasn't any kind of milestone to vampires. She wasn't looking for a husband so she could legitimize a child. The Queen believed in Caspian's assessment. Bearing a child wouldn't help, but the physical act of sex might bring emotion, and even a little bit of that might be enough.

It was better to reap a future lover from the pool of suitable husbands that would be attendance in the event she chose to marry. Neither Sookie nor her father needed an alliance in marriage, but it would be advantageous, especially if she didn't have to do away with said husband for treachery at any point.

Still, the amount of fanfare that Sookie could sense as she woke the afternoon of her party seemed to infect all the minds for miles around. It was another thing she didn't understand. The party was her father's idea, yet the party wasn't in Nevada. It was at her formal estate in Oklahoma, the one she had built over the first five years of her rule.

The near two million square foot palace sat on a fifteen-mile stretch of land and was modeled after the Palacio de la Magdalena. It was true that Sookie didn't need anything that size but she'd had the money and the land. Asking her father to decorate and design it had made him happy. When Felipe was finished, it really was a castle fit for a Queen of old. The Palace was able to accommodate all the royals on her guest list and their entourages without sacrificing luxury or security.

Still, Sookie wondered why this wrinkle in the routine wasn't happening in Nevada. She calculated and found that her father could accommodate twice as many people with ease. He had hotels throughout the strip alone. She knew he had houses stashed all throughout. In fact, she had voiced that point a few weeks back in an attempt to avoid this disruption to her routine.

"Go ask Sai're," He had told her.

Sookie knew how that was bound to end. Nothing she had ever done that involved Sai had ever been pain-free. Politely she declined, of course. Her father smiled victoriously. He did offer her some additional bodies to enhance security. The King was also funding the expense of the extravagant affair. Sookie knew that was one thing about her father; if he was offering to pay, he was expecting carte blanche. Felipe was King, so that was exactly what he got.

As the Queen and her assistant went over the guest list once more Sookie couldn't imagine that all these royals would come all this way, but at the last security check at noon, every single invited guest had come, even those who were at odds had come. There were vampires on the guest list that even the eldest vampires hadn't seen in person in ages.

"My Queen," Dorian said, leading the way to the safe. "You are bare. I have preselected some pieces from the world's finest designers. I have also preordered some to compliment your gown."

Sookie shook her head. "My father will have something new and befitting," She replied. "We will wait."

Although she hadn't had a party in over twenty-five years, every single year her father had sent her a present. It was extravagant and expensive. She had done the math and, at this rate, Felipe would run out of fine jewels in another ten decades, so she only had to endure another hundred years, not bad with all things considered.

It would be a gross misunderstanding to say that she didn't know what it meant that her father had sent her a gift every single year. It had reached the point that they arrived at almost the same time of day. In her own numb way, she looked forward to it, the predictability anyway. She knew not to sleep or schedule anything in the early hours of her birthdays.

Every year she found herself waiting, and she received. When she did receive the one of a kind thing that her father had made just for her, she had no emotion and she never wanted to feel as badly as she did in those moments. She would dig into her memories of when she wasn't hollow and he had given her what she wanted. Then she would mimic the joy she could recall, and adapt it with slight modifications to fit the gift. It was like lying but it wasn't intentional. She was unable to not tell the truth.

"Mayhap, His Majesty forgot. It is truly understandable as he undertook the party planning almost singlehandedly as well as his other duties."

"Felipe De Castro does not forget," Sookie advised as she sat waiting in front of her vanity mirror.

Dorian fell silent with a deep nod of her head. The knock sounded on the door almost immediately. It was her present, the Queen knew. As she looked toward the door, she didn't see her father. The King had sent Victor Madden. It was a pearl and diamond set in platinum. The chandelier pattern choker placed her in a league all her own. The cost of it wasn't one that she could fathom, which she knew was the point. Her father was warning all possible suitors of the standard to which his daughter was accustomed.

Sookie exited her chamber with her entourage trailing behind her. Behind the doors that would lead into the balcony over the grand ballroom was her father.

"Thank you, Daddy," Sookie said with a full curtsy. She looked at both Nim and Sai to include them in the greeting. One nodded, the other scowled. "Your gift is more than any one Queen should have."

He smiled at her and she did her best to smile back with the same level of affection. She fell short, but he didn't seem to hold it against her. He took her hand, and all their guards stepped into their prearranged formation to suit them.

"Did you think I would forget?" He asked as the music cued.

"No," She replied. "You are a great King. That title is only superseded only by the caliber of father that you have proven to be. You would never forget the day your only daughter was born."

"No, Shy-shy," he agreed. "I would never."

The doors opened and the party was underway. Sookie danced with her father and thereafter, the party hit full swing. From the dancers and socialites, the world's best entertainers were there. It was as grand as it should be as befitting of a Queen of her stature. Human politicians of the highest order were there, Prime Ministers whom the Queen and her father did business with, and those who wanted to get in with the De Castro bloodline were there.

Then there were the Kings of Old. There was a reason why vampires of the Old World remained segregated from those of the New and any place on Earth. Gender continued to played a role. Still, many had come and Sookie couldn't imagine why. If she was a Queen here, why ever would she take the demotion of being a wife and losing her crown? They had been invited and they had come, so there wasn't much she could say or do.

There was Amir the Sandstorm. Marques was the vampire king of France. While he may hold the largest expanse of that country, Louis Tréville was the most powerful. Fifteen years ago the persecution of vampires had been at an all-time high in that country. Both sides had been suffering casualties, but once he stepped in there had been peace. They had both risen to stop it. They had calmed the vampires and worked with the humans. The pair had paved the way for the others, but no one could touch them, the people of France both alive and Undead saw the original Kings as champions. That being said, the competition was still steep.

Sookie performed her duties, meeting and greeting the guests. It was easy with her father by her side. He was a charming vampire, Felipe, even other vampires thought so. When she reached Grayson, the King of Three or the Phantom Emperor, something struck her as being amiss. After the brief pleasantries had ended and she had to move to other guests, she found that he was watching her.

It was true that Sookie was garnering attention, but the glances were subtle. King Grayson wasn't even attempting to socialize or talk business with anyone. He had remanded himself and his people to a corner, and just stared at her. Saying he was staring might be an understatement. The King of Three was openly gawking at her with an intensity that was beneath a royal of his stature. He either didn't know or he didn't care.

Aside from that anomaly everyone was behaving as honored guests at a party should. Sookie was putting every ounce of effort she could spare into pretending to enjoy the festivities. It was trying to say the least. Her only want was that this would be over as quickly as possible because soon the robot would show. Her mask was already slipping. In the past quarter decade this amount of versatility hadn't been demanded of her all at once. She had to feign being impressed, interested, happy, and entertained.

Caspian entered the ballroom, and it became easier. He garnered his fair share of attention as a fairy would in a room filled to the brim with vampires. It was true that he was wearing inhibitor collars that they had created together and they were serving their purpose. The vampires in the room paid him mind, but it wasn't a mad dash for a drug amongst abusers. Every eye turned to him was one less person with whom she had to speak. It helped the process of elimination in any case.

While Caspian commanded attention, Sookie tried to move this process along. Surely between herself, Dorian, and her father, they would finish greeting everyone, and then she could politely retire.

When the band started another set, it was all that the Queen could stand. She left the ballroom and made way to the veranda. The only person who trailed her was Nim, and it was after Galleon had been waved away. Nim followed her and remained as silent as he had been her whole life. She knew that he knew why they had no words to share.

Sookie just watched the moon and wondered about the old freight train, surely if she wasn't here she would be there trying to lose the fight for her life. It was in that moment that Sookie realized that she had been counting on someone, anyone, to make a play to claim her head. Seriously, how hard would it be? Not very difficult was her estimation. Not only was she famous for never traveling with a full entourage, she was in her castle and the security was seemingly lax.

Of all the royals present, was there no one that wanted to end her? Would no one try? As long they didn't threaten her family, she wouldn't put up too much of a fight. No one came forward. That was what it meant to be a De Castro by blood and a Queen by might. You were uncontested no matter how much you wanted to bow out.

"Surely Her Majesty cannot be bored of her own party so soon."

The speaker had sneaked up on her. By the stance Nim had taken, the speaker had sneaked up on him too. They both turned to see Grayson. The King of Three was at the far end of the balcony. How had Sookie missed that? She didn't know, but she didn't linger on it. Perhaps the King of Three would eliminate her? He would be a fitting opponent. He was the one royal that her father had made sure she had learned of inside and out when she was a child. There wasn't much to know, but what was known was enough to breed caution.

"You are not in accordance with the safety parameters of a royal guest in my palace. Where are your guards, King Grayson?" Sookie asked.

Already she was assessing Grayson as an enemy. He had been watching her overtly, and now he had tried to get her alone. The only logical explanation was that he was a threat. Sookie didn't try to mitigate the effects of her eyes. She didn't try to be polite. She was sure that he would be the one to take the choice from her. It was fitting. He was the King of the three territories of California and she was the Queen of three.

"Inside," he replied. "I wanted to speak with you alone. . ."

How odd. Outside of Caspian no one who had been the recipient of her true self had been so…unaffected. Sookie was watching Grayson; he didn't so much as cringe. In fact, he had moved closer by a step during the conversation.

"Make an appointment through the proper channels, King Grayson," Sookie said blandly. "Now is neither the time nor place. I strongly urge you to summon your guards as to be in compliance with the safety parameters of your stay."

"I have no concerns of my safety in your presence," Grayson replied with his eyes boring intently into hers.

Sookie watched him closely for physical signs of deceit or hesitation. The King didn't as much as blink. In fact, he was moving ever closer. Nim had called Sai and, even with both her eldest brothers flanking her, Grayson showed no fear. That really was beyond strange. Perhaps the King of Three was mad? She didn't think so. Her lack of information forced her curiously into action. Just what had Sookie and her father missed where Grayson was concerned?

"Give me a moment alone with you, and I will show you something that you have never seen before."

That proclamation was rather bold, but it agreed with his behavior. Perhaps he did have something he thought worthwhile. Sai're answered for her. "Shy, your father is missing you."

Sookie knew she had to refuse. "Please excuse me," She told the King of Three with a nod of her head.

"Of course," He replied with a nod of his own. "Majesty, Happy Birthday."

Sookie left with her brothers at her back, but she knew that if she cared to look, King Grayson would be staring.

The majority of Sookie's guests left as Lysander performed his last set. The party began to wind down thereafter. Those who had come a longer way were scheduled to leave at dawn using daytime transport. There were a select few who were resting the day and departing at first dark. Her father and brothers were in the former group. Felipe had to return home promptly to continue preparation for the Summit of royals in the Narayana territory. Before he did, he gave the Queen his top candidates much like Dorian had done before retiring.

Sookie hadn't been able to compile her own. She had been so unable to differentiate one vampire from the next, renowned and royal though they were. Of course there was Grayson. He had been bold enough to seek her out alone, silent enough to approach undetected. Perhaps he would be the best suitor if only because he had the highest success rate at taking her life. At the end of the night, she was lying with Caspian as they discussed the matter.

"So definitely…not the one you think has a better chance at killing you. What about the King of France? You wouldn't have to see him much, especially if sex doesn't help, and you do not want to marry him."

That was true. "Contrarily, if the sex helps and I wish to marry him, it would be problematic. The Old World rules of vampire marriages differ greatly."

"So fuck him and don't marry him."

"Again, Old World rules; my father would turn a blind eye if he learned I had a secret lover, but he would not willfully ignore my ongoing open affair with a royal. It insults my title as a Princess of his Bloodline."

"Vampires," He murmured with a yawn. "Well, you have my present to look forward to; nothing about it will be complicated."

"Yes, I have set aside the entire day as you requested. Although, if you told me what it is that—"

He laughed softly as he held her closer. "For a genius you have a hard time understanding the definition of 'surprise.'"


	5. Chapter 5

The Queen was in a meeting with Bishop. Today was the Internal Logistics and Security Analysis. The Mercedes-Benz Superdome was one the most expensive things she had ever purchased, and that included the time when she paid the royals of Amun to emancipate Louisiana and Arkansas decades ago. Unlike the emancipation, this was a smart buy.

The first year that the games took place, there had been security breaches of all sorts. Humans had been attacked by vampires, vampires were attacked by humans, vampires attacked other vampires, and a demon ate a baby. She had covered them up, but they had been preventable.

Had FIN controlled the arena, those events would have never been, so she bought it, and now FIN was hardwired into every single square inch of the building. He could detect anything from the crudest explosive, an unsupervised minor, a dead light bulb, and a cry for help. He was even an attendant in all the restrooms.

Truly, there wasn't much for Sookie to do but approve the routes, rooming, and emergency protocols of the many regents who would be in attendance. That was much harder. The variables that were involved weren't just intangible; she had to fabricate some of her own. It included everything from their hotel blowing up at high noon to them being hit by a car an hour before dawn. To anyone else it would appear like overkill, but her word as a Queen could never be called into question, not ever. It was the one thing she could not afford.

"I do not have an update on the Caleb issue," Bishop said as they concluded their meeting. "He isn't doing anything out of the ordinary, not even when I started the rumor that Ashley Bynam was in my jail and was facing possible deportation."

He tipped his chair on the back legs and balanced it there as if it helped him formulate his thoughts. "I cannot decide if it means that Ashley made up her attack for some other reason and if she is the one that is the threat, or if Caleb is just that good. For that matter, if she was going to mislead, why drag Desh into it unless she and Caleb were working together? I don't see that though, she is too young."

The Queen quickly deliberated the matter. It could be argued that someone had somehow planted Ashley in Sookie's state to further some agenda. It wasn't just possible. It had happened before. That was the reason that she and she alone now held the power to grant citizenship. It came with a promise that was signed in her blood.

It was like being on a canoe in the middle of the ocean. Every threat to her rule and her people was a hole that seemed to spring up out of nowhere. All she had was herself. Her hands were on the oars moving the vessel, but every now and again progress had to be slowed for the sake of preservation. It wasn't only a matter of finding the hole and sealing the leak. It was about knowing, understanding, and realizing that she only had two hands. She needed to know which leaks needed attending to first.

"What is your assessment of Ashley?" She asked.

A look of total disgust and exasperation came over Bishop's face. "She is weak. She is terrified of her own shadow. She was remanded to solitary because she refused to come out of her cell. I left her there because at least then she was drinking her blood rations, and I would not have to see her weeping in a corner. It is disgusting, Majesty, truly."

Sookie thought it over. Someone was trying to play her, and she just needed to construct a scenario that would reveal to her just who that person was. For now, it was wisest to work the Caleb angle first.

"Forget about Caleb. Ignore him for now," she advised. "It will either make him nervous or careless, and he will make a mistake. If that doesn't happen in due time, then Ashley must answer as to why."

He nodded his agreement. "Kale and I have forwarded our list of candidates for promotions to you. We decided it would be easiest for me to accompany soldiers from both regions."

Sookie nodded her agreement. Seeing she had a few more scheduled appointments with him before the games, that made sense; although it was Kale's turn this year.

Historically, Bishop's candidates had proven to be more skilled, at least in hand-to-hand combat. "Anyone you favor in particular?" she asked.

He smiled; a rare expression for his grave face. "I will let you be the judge of that."

Another nod, that was fair enough because judge them she would. "Very well then, Bishop."

He bowed and left, leaving Sookie with her guards and thoughts. The few minutes that passed were unscheduled, and with all idle time she felt her mind slither into dark thoughts and broken things. Then the numbness seemed to expand another inch. Where was Dorian?

Sookie hadn't forgotten that her assistant had gone. Most likely, she knew Dorian was ironing a wrinkle in the schedule or taking a call from one of Sookie's many family members or friends. It wasn't to say that she was avoiding them. It was just easiest if Dorian fielded the conversation so that Sookie would know what emotions she might have to mimic.

As if on cue, the door opened and the clacking of heels could be heard as Dorian raced back into the room. "Forgive me, My Queen," An errant wave of her hand dismissed the words. Otto pulled out her chair, and when she rose, Dorian held her jacket open for her.

"Prince Lysander is requesting your presence," She told her.

"Did he say why?" Sookie asked.

Zee was one of the most difficult people for her to be around now. The thought alone was something she knew she would have found appalling decades ago. There was no one who had indulged her when she was a child the way Zee had. He had lied for her, helped her cover up things she shouldn't have done, and he always bought her the best presents. Now the radiant smile that she had always found so contagious was an unwanted reminder of the joy she couldn't even feign, never mind feel.

"No, and Majesty, I attempted to garner it multiple times. When that failed, I explained what a disruption it would be to your schedule, at which point he became rather cross. He said, and I quote, 'Queen or not, she had better bring her ass over here or I will tell father, or better yet, send Sai're. I promise you he will display in full, the definition of a disruption,' end quote."

The first threat was viable, but Sookie knew that her father would understand even though he would not approve. Not being able to feel the disappointment that went with that didn't change her reaction. It was reflex to want him to be proud of her. The threat of Sai held the largest capabilities for disaster.

Since Sookie no longer felt any need or saw reason in antagonizing her eldest brother, she hadn't. She regarded him with respect and that seemed like the greatest of insults to him. She really had thought that would have been an easy fix, it wasn't like with Zee where he hugged her and she had to remember to reciprocate.

It was the most perplexing thing. Sai seemed to take her respecting him as some hidden insult. It was one of those multifaceted emotional conundrums she just didn't understand. She did know that if Lysander gave him a reason to fight her, Sai would take it. As inconvenient as it was, she didn't wish Sai as an option. He was much too strong, too destructive, and too out of her control. Sookie knew that she would have to change her plans to suit her most impetuous sibling.

It was Thursday, and for the next two days she was scheduled to be seated at court. It was exactly what it sounded like. Sookie arrived at Palace Hotel. It was yet another building that she owned. If not for the two days a week, she seldom set foot in it, but FIN managed it so she knew it was profitable. She would be seated upon a throne, and then would listen to grievances of the lowest order from the lowest citizen who felt as if they couldn't turn to or wait for the Prefect of the state.

It wasn't only vampires that would come to see her for one reason or another. Humans in the area that had any sort of vampire problem were heard as were Two-natured, and even some daemons. Sookie was speaking with an elderly woman who was explaining that her vampire neighbor played his music too loud at night when she was trying to sleep. He had ignored her and the police had ignored her. Most likely they assumed her to be old and bored with nothing better to do than complain. Sookie would have agreed, except the old woman had come this far.

"I apologize for the poor behavior of my citizen, madam. Will you consider moving?" Sookie asked her. "I will insist that your neighbor fund the expense for driving you from your home."

"No. I shouldn't have to. I'm neighborly, he isn't."

Sookie lightly rifled through the woman's mind and saw that all she said was true. She had been treating her vampire neighbor with courtesy while he was doing the opposite. Unfortunately, being neighborly wasn't a rule in Sookie's state, any of them. For that matter, her vampires didn't have to respect humans. They simply couldn't abuse them without cause. This didn't even constitute harassment never mind abuse.

Ending this old woman who was persistent enough to wait three hours and stand before a vampire Queen would be easy. Sookie could enter her mind and terrify her until her fragile heart gave out. She could have someone follow her home and kill her there. What was easiest wouldn't be what was best, at least not in the long run.

The thing about all creatures was they did what you allowed. That was especially true for vampires. Most of them would only go as far as they could without suffering any adverse consequences. If Sookie killed this old woman simply for the convenience of her vampire citizen, she would have cases like this popping up all over, and they might not be as simple a thing as, say loud music.

Furthermore, there was no logical reason to risk it. This woman would be dead within ten years, and then her vampire neighbor could return to his regular habits. Ten years was nothing to immortals, to this elderly woman it was everything, and Sookie knew that she would make as much trouble as needed to enjoy every day of it.

Sookie nodded her head at the old woman. "Very well," She said. "Dorian!"

Her assistant already had the call connecting on the built-in wall screen. "George Edward Graham," Dorian said once the line connected.

"Who's asking?" he snapped.

Sookie could hear the loud music in the background. That might have been why he was shouting, or it could just be his normal temperament.

"My name is Dorian Hartford, aide to the Queen of Three, Her Majesty, Sookie Stackhouse. She is on the line."

That was all it took. The vampire got on the phone with apologies already tumbling from his lips. She didn't have to threaten him, but she did because she needed to let him know that while humans were weaker, they could cause trouble all the same. Afterward it was business as usual.

It wasn't until the end of the night that Sookie returned her brother's call. Without needing confirmation, she knew several things the instant the call connected. First, Lysander was drunk; he could be heard in the background singing off-key. It was Oliver who answered, which would have been a much better interaction, except he was drunk also.

"Shy-shy," he slurred. "It's Ollie. Where are you, little one?"

He was definitely inebriated. He never called her 'little' anything. At least he hadn't since she was seven. Why was he doing so now? There had to be a good reason. She didn't debate on the issue as she kept their small talk alive as best she could.

"At my main estate in New Orleans," she replied. "How are you, big brother?"

"Shitty. You should be here, Zee said you were coming."

"He didn't give me choice," She corrected. "And I do not know your location."

He gave a drunken amused snort. "Only your favorite place in the universe," He said.

That wasn't very helpful to her. Still, she tried to think through every country she had traveled to with her brothers. There had been so many, especially when Zee had been on duty to supervise her. She was trying to recall one that she had said was her favorite, but the memory remained obscure to her. When she tried to dig deeper, she only found more emptiness within. All the while the silence on the other line grew and it seemed to sober her brother.

"Don't you remember, Sookie?" He asked.

"No," she confessed. "I do not. My best guesses are Nygård Cay, Mustique, or Isla de sa Ferradura, but not particularly in that order."

Oliver didn't speak, and if not for the background noise that Sookie could hear, she would have thought the line had disconnected. It hadn't and with every second, she knew that she should be saying something, but she didn't know what to say. Not only did she not know what he was feeling, she couldn't see his face to read. She waited for him to cue her, but after a minute he hung up.

Sookie was in bed when her personal phone buzzed signaling she had received a message. With Dorian dead for the day and FIN operating at full capacity completing his countless other tasks, she attended the message. Then again, that was why she had opted out of sleeping in her safe room.

Sookie knew her brother. When it came to sibling squabbling, Oliver's pattern of behavior was set in stone. She had known that he would call her back to explain what she had done wrong. He was the philosopher who truly believed that the aim of an argument or discussion should not be victory but progress.

She opened the phone and saw the message from Oliver. There were no words, just a picture and like a wave, the memory of the day it was taken came crashing over her.

_Sookie was seven years of age or so and was heading to Isla de sa Ferradura with Oliver. Her father had said he would come join her soon, but, at that point, she had been used to his duties as King keeping him away. She had calculated the odds of him being present and they had been unfavorable, but he had actually been there, waiting for her on the beach as the sea plane docked. In linen pants and matching top, Felipe looked nothing like a vampire, never mind a king. He stood there with a smile and his arms open waiting to hold her. She had been out of her seat before the plane had been secured. When the doors opened she had run flat out, throwing herself at him full force._

_"I didn't think you would come," She'd said._

_It didn't even matter that Sai was there too. All that had mattered to her was her first love, her best friend, her biggest champion, her father was there._

_There was a smile on his face that to this very day she never saw unless it was aimed at her. "I fooled you, did I not?" He'd replied, pulling away to kiss both of her cheeks, her head, and her nose._

_She'd nodded vigorously, and then tried to hold him tighter against her little body. It was before her fangs had come in and the vampire strength in her veins wasn't yet permanent. She wasn't yet a hybrid, but she had spent her entire life with vampires and she knew that she had but to tell him the truth and he would see it in her eyes. That was exactly what she did._

_"Yes, you did, but you know what?"_

_"Diga me, hija?" He'd replied._

_"I'm glad." She'd replied. "Of course now I owe you one."_

_He laughed and kissed her face all over again._

In the memory Sookie could recall that she had laughed so hard it made her gasp for breath. The creature Sookie had become couldn't feel the joy that came with the memory, but it was there on her face as she smiled in the picture. She could remember being extremely clingy, never letting her father's hand out of hers. She had even eaten lunch seated in his lap, an absolute breach of etiquette.

Two days after arriving on the island, she had been building sand castles on the beach with him fine tuning her work as he always did. That was the image Sookie was looking at. Both she and her father were lying on their stomach talking about the large detailed castle. Their heads had been very close together, critiquing the sculpture. She couldn't imagine what had happened, but they were laughing amongst themselves. Her father was smiling and even to her it was beatific. He was leaning in to kiss her lips. Sookie could see her younger self leaning in also. That was so long ago.

Sookie wanted to feel something at the picture, but it didn't happen. She couldn't even recall who could have recorded the moment or why. What she did know was that she needed to get to Lysander and Oliver. Something was amiss if one was threatening her, and the other was drunk and attempting to bury her in sentiments everyone knew she no longer possessed. On another note, one of her top three guesses had been correct.


	6. Chapter 6

Sookie called Caspian. He was able to not only serve as her conduit to emotions she'd lost, he was also able to light the way entirely when Sookie was faced with intricate emotional challenges, such as the one she found herself in with Oliver. The phone rang and rang but went unanswered. It took the better part of an hour before he replied.

However, Caspian hadn't called her back, he appeared outside the main gates and she let him in. It was only then that he was able to teleport the rest of the way into in her bedroom.

"What's wrong?" He asked as he climbed into bed with her.

Sookie knew that while he tried to act as her emotional senses, Caspian was still very much a Fae man-whore, seductive scientist. She could smell a female on him.

"Forgive the interruption," She said.

He smiled brightly. "It was more like a save."

She nodded. Caspian had been an option her father told her she should explore. The King's logic had been undeniable. Caspian loved Sookie; everyone, vampire or Fae knew that. It was also a fact that once she'd loved him. Now…all she knew was that she trusted and was loyal to him and the love they'd shared.

These nights when she lay in bed with him, the hollowness in her chest didn't fade into the distance. When she was with him and ensconced in his arms, it was as if that emptiness in her soul seemed to pay attention to him as though it wanted to devour all his happiness, but it couldn't touch him. It didn't help her debilitating condition, but it didn't hurt either.

"Oliver is very slow to anger. I am failing to see why I am the recipient of such a rare thing. I do not want it," Sookie told him.

Cas opened his mind and Sookie planted the events that had transpired after Dorian had informed her of Zee's call. Her best friend saw everything and his face was open. She read it. His first response was laughter when Sookie showed him Dorian delivering the initial message. His amusement made her think the fault wasn't her own, but then he frowned. It wasn't just a simple frown. Caspian looked somewhat perturbed. For a long time after she had shown him all that there was to see, he just kept staring at her. So the fault definitely lay with her?

"I did not mean to do whatever it is I have done to wound him," She told him.

Caspian held her tighter. "Don't be stupid. I know that. They do, too, but loving someone that you know is incapable of loving you in return is worse than loving someone who is unwilling. It is like pouring out your heart, all that you hold dear, into a void."

Sookie knew that she was the void. No matter what those who had known her before poured into her, she couldn't give it back. She wasn't just broken. She was literally incapable of loving anyone or anything ever again. She understood that, but still the question of Oliver remained unanswered.

"It's not just for Oliver, but for all of us, from Amelia to Genie. We know the beauty of your smile. We've earned it, but through no fault of our own that jewel is forever lost. When something like that happens you crave anger. You beg for patience, but mostly you want nothing more than to stop caring so fucking much. Alas, that is not what love is. You cannot stop feeling because the object of your love is no longer stimulating you. No matter how badly you want to let go…you just can't."

Sookie heard him, but his words and exemplifications didn't sink in. Caspian knew it because he explained further.

"I suspect your brother Oliver took that picture because he knew what it meant to both you and your father. He was there to witness it, but now…now that you can barely recall it, it wounds him. He probably wonders why he remembers and you don't. He wants to forget and not care, but he can't and you seem to…so easily."

For a long time Sookie said nothing. She was lost in the details of that memory. It wasn't until her body was shutting down did she speak.

"Sometimes I remember it so vividly that I can hardly believe I was that person who lived and loved and laughed so much," She told him. "If I could, I would be like I used to be." She wouldn't cause all those around her so much pain.

Caspian smiled sadly and kissed her lips chastely as they rolled onto their sides ready to fall asleep. He slept before her and for a long while she listened to him breath, wondering when the day would come when he gave up on the void. For that matter, when would everyone else? Those were her last thoughts as her body took over and she passed out.

When Sookie awoke, Caspian was already dressed for the day, but he remained in bed with her. It was true that there were more than enough bedrooms in the estate for Caspian to have his own wing, but whenever they were together, he slept where she slept. She didn't know why, but she never asked. The answer was one she knew that she had no hope of understanding.

Over breakfast, Caspian helped Sookie rehearse her apology to her brother. Thereafter she showed him the image of the island and he popped them there.

"Are you two bitches blind or didn't you see the sign that says, 'Private'?"

The female voice asked this of Sookie and Caspian when they arrived at the family villa on the island. It was clear she had graced her brother's bed. Zee's scent was on her, but she was failing to find her place. The Queen would show it to her and the exercise would not be pain free.

"I beg your pardon?" Sookie said, taking a step forward.

"Sweetheart," Caspian interjected with a bright smile. "Why don't you come with me so my friend here doesn't murder you? It's too nice a day to be digging graves."

The woman took one look into the Queen's abysmal eyes and wet herself right before she fainted. That was why mortal bedmates and weak vampires were out of the question for her. Her eyes were dead enough, when accompanied with her intent to do harm it was too much for many.

Caspian caught her with a sigh. "You know, Sookie, it's not easy being your friend."

Sookie said nothing as Caspian carried the human toward the beach. He was grumbling the entire way about it being too early for heavy lifting. The Queen weighed her options on how to proceed. She thought them out carefully so as not to offend again. First, she would seek out Oliver. He wasn't difficult to find. The room that Oliver was sharing with Zee was a mess.

It looked as though a small category hurricane had passed through. There were holes in the walls that bore the perfect indentation of fists. Pictures had been ripped off the walls. Furniture had been overturned, and then there were the scattered human females and males on Zee's side of the room.

Sookie got rid of the humans. Then she proceeded to set the room to rights. It didn't take her long. Halfway through the task Oliver awoke with a pained groan. Considering the amount of Blood XFM bottles in the room that was expected. The serum that Sookie created so many years for her family, the one that allowed them to walk in the sun, shouldn't be mixed with any other foreign substances in the blood, like alcohol for instance. They all knew that. Both her brothers would awaken needing extra blood so their bodies could heal.

"FIN," Oliver groaned. "Blood, I need it…now…"

"You wouldn't if you hadn't drunk so much," She replied. "Also, FIN is not integrated into this house. The island does not have adequate power to sustain the—"

"Shut up!" he snapped, throwing a bottle at her.

Sookie caught the empty bottle of 'Blood XFM' easily and fell silent. She watched her brother cautiously. Aggression from Oliver at anyone, especially her, was a first. Even when she had been younger and they had sparred, he never connected his hits. As she looked at him she saw nothing that she could readily interpret. He stopped looking at her. His eyes seemed glued to the ceiling fan as if hypnotized by the lazy spinning blades.

"Are you well, Oliver?" Sookie finally asked.

He said nothing.

"I understand what I did wrong now. I should have remembered and I did not," she told him. "I am very sorry for I know I wounded you and it is never my intent. We are blood. You have my loyalty, so tell me what is wrong with you, Oliver, and I promise you I will make it right."

He glanced her way as if to make sure it was her, and then he looked away again. For a long time he didn't reply or look at her, perhaps she hadn't delivered the apology as smoothly as she should have?

"Jesus effin' Christ!" Lysander interrupted. "I've been pretending to be asleep, but I'm afraid that this will go on forever."

Sookie had practiced her best smile to prepare for Zee. Seeing him with his normal attitude in bloom made her best smile seem not quite right. What to do? Gather information. Analyze the data, and then she could make decisions. She had her mouth open to ask a question, but Lysander headed out of the room placing an order with the island concierge for blood as he went.

That left the Queen with Oliver, but he had turned his back to her. There was nothing for her to do at the moment. Also, Oliver might be more pliable and less irritable once he had blood, so Sookie left in search of Caspian. She found the faery beachside.

In the short time since she last saw him, his clothing had changed from t-shirt and jeans to swim trunks that matched his eyes. Like her, he had grown his hair out over the years. It was her guess that it was safe for him to look like the faery he was. His cinnamon locks appeared darker as they hung in wet curls around his chiseled face.

"Did he forgive you?" Cas asked with an excited smile.

Sookie shrugged, not sure how to answer. It seemed as if Oliver had, indeed, forgiven her because he had spoken to her, but he wasn't regarding her in the manner she was accustomed to him using.

"I do not know, nor do I think I am entirely the cause of his unrest," She admitted. "I cannot say with absolute certainty what is."

Caspian wrapped his arms around her. She returned the embrace, but it brought with it nothing but the physical measure of his weight. There was no relief or reassurance. His touching her did nothing to improve the circumstance, how strange that people often felt the opposite, at one point so did she.

"I got you a swim suit too," Caspian said as they pulled apart. "Might as well enjoy the day."

"I am of the Sky biologically, I shouldn't brave open waters," Sookie reminded him.

"I am of the Water. Think of it as a swim lesson."

There was a grin on his face that told Sookie he would have much more fun with this than she ever could. Anything was better than returning to her brothers and wading through that emotional minefield blindly, so for the next hour and a half, Sookie swam in the ocean and Caspian attacked her.

Sookie swam hard while her best friend sent underwater cyclones to pull her under, and then Caspian encouraged waves to drown her. She swam even harder. He swam in the water's depths tickling her toes and pulling her legs. She used her arms. If she could 'feel' something, this would be as close as Sookie could get to 'fun'", training, pushing her body, strengthening and conditioning it to any element.

As Caspian had promised, Sookie found her body exhausted when she emerged from the ocean. They found the closest eatery to have lunch. It wasn't a restaurant but a roasting kiosk. They were inhaling barbecued tofu and veggies when Sookie saw her brothers making their way down the beach. Even from a distance it was obvious that Lysander was all but dragging Oliver along.

"You didn't bring the collars?" Sookie asked Caspian.

His intent to depart was clear; he was hiding behind her back. It was standard when her family was around.

Caspian shook his head. "I couldn't. It's like we calculated. It inhibits more than my scent. It affects my powers."

That was most unfortunate Sookie thought. There were many times in the past quarter century that she had needed Caspian as her emotional guide. This was one of those times, but it couldn't be helped. Everyone in her family as well as her father's vampires and hers knew Caspian was off limits under pain of a long and gruesome final death. She could hardly kill her brothers, so it was best not to tempt them.

"Offer your help when posed with a clear cut problem. No matter what, do not give your opinion. Nod and nod, but keep your lips sealed as much as possible."

"Yes, Caspian. Thank you," Sookie said.

When her brothers were within pouncing distance, Caspian vanished. Sookie was the only one who knew that he hadn't gone far. She could see Caspian deep in the sea, further than even the best human swimmer could venture. He was a decoration in the furthest background of the picture perfect image of this island paradise. He had never been freer or more beautiful as he adorned the horizon.


	7. Chapter 7

Sookie's brothers sat down under the sun with her in silence. Lysander was humming to himself. Oliver was staring at the white sand. Sookie was lost. No one was saying anything, and often when that happened, it was because she had missed some cue. Had she? She didn't think so? Or perhaps the conversation from the suite was supposed to carry over? Caspian's advice was warring with her track record. She decided that engaging Lysander would be the best course.

"Why are you visiting the Island?" she asked.

"Bachelor party," he replied.

Informative and clear, this was good. Sookie could work with this. "Who is getting married?"

Lysander gestured with his feet to indicate Oliver.

"I do not understand," Sookie replied.

"Your father is arranging a marriage between Queen Genevieve of Boston and me," Oliver explained.

Of all the plausible reasons behind her brother's unrest, that was one thing that the Queen of Three hadn't considered. Oliver wasn't happy and she still wasn't very sure as to why, but congratulating him would be the proper thing.

"Congratulations," she told him with her best smile.

Oliver lost his temper again. At least this time it didn't seem to be directed at her. Sookie listened to his rant and took in all the information she could. It wasn't much because every other word out of his mouth was an expletive. She was able to decipher that Oliver did not wish to marry the Queen. At the end of it, her brother was looking at her for a reaction, of that she was certain. This was the opportunity to offer a solution.

"Given that congratulations are not in order, I will end her because you are clearly unhappy."

The plan was already formulating in Sookie's head. She didn't know much about Queen Genevieve, but it wouldn't take long to find out.

"No," Oliver snarled.

His level of aggression was more than she had witnessed in over fifty-five years of life. His head was down, eyes narrowed, nostrils flared, and his fists were balled at his sides. She needed to stop talking. This was going entirely awry.

"You will do no such thing, Shy'ra, not ever!"

Sookie nodded her head deeply. The show of submission was the fastest way to ease her brother's aggression. As she did so, she looked at Lysander from the corner of her eye. She knocked against his mind but he didn't let her in. He was looking at Oliver.

"She is his Mate."

"Mating is one-sided! She is not my mate, I am hers!" Oliver exploded. "Not that I hold stock in pre-determination or fate anyway!"

Every single creature in the immediate area, human or otherwise heard him. Sookie had already gone into damage control mode to wipe the events from their minds. She then addressed her brother's error in judgment. Vampires mated. In fact, the elevated levels of aggression that Oliver was displaying were proof that he was mated and was not meshing with his mated female. It was a fact, but how she would address it, Sookie had no idea.

"Then tell father no!" Lysander all but wailed. "If only for my sake, Oliver, I'm begging!"

It was clear that they had been having this argument for some time. How was it that Sookie hadn't been informed that one of her brother's was betrothed? It wouldn't affect her, but it was still pertinent information she thought her father would have shared. The fact that he hadn't meant he had a good reason and she just didn't know what that was.

"I can't!" Oliver bit back.

That confused Sookie. What she knew of her father and what she heard from her brother conflicted greatly. Felipe had five children. For a vampire his age that was many, but the King of Nevada maximized each child to their highest potential unless it would cause them harm. Then he did what any Maker and father of worth would do. He protected. That was his 'Modus Operandi'. Not once had he ever abused or neglected in all her memories of him.

"Why?" Sookie wondered aloud. "I know this is not an edict. Daddy seldom uses them. So why are you refusing to refuse him?"

Oliver growled long and hard at the sky, but he somehow managed to include all in his nonverbal display of aggression. "Because I just can't! Because none of us can, even you, Shy. You are a Queen, but I knew you did not want the party he had in your honor yet you still let him have it anyway. Felipe gives so much, but he seldom takes. When he asks something of you, as his child you can't refuse him! It feels too wrong for words!"

"I have never thought of it that way," Sookie admitted.

Perhaps it was because her words were so sincere that her brother looked up at her and he looked much like himself, if only for an instant. Then he went back to scowling at everything.

Lysander got to his feet. "Ollie, the way I see it, you have three options, marry the Queen and settle down, let Shy-shy kill her, or defy your Maker. Do whatever you want, but do it soon. You are depressing the ever-loving shit out of me, brother, and I am ready to leave you to your misery."

"You said you would help!" Oliver snarled.

"I tried! You didn't take my advice," Lysander retorted. "That's not my fucking fault! On top of sulking about it all the time, you are like Sai're on a bad day."

"I am not, and let it not go unsaid that your advice was bullshit!" Oliver insisted.

Sookie interjected. "Forgive me, but what was the advice?"

"Your dumbass brother insisted that crying and being miserable in the presence of the King would change things!" Oliver yelled as if Sookie had difficulty hearing. She did not. "He is failing to see that not all of us have his aptitude for bitching and moaning!"

"I crashed a yacht, caused an international incident, and got off with a slap, so, yes, it takes aptitude."

Yes, Zee most certainly had. It had been a public relations wreck for vampires the world over. They ultimately blamed Felipe as they should. Her father had been furious! After the cleanup, Felipe had taken every single cent Zee had, terminated all his recording contracts, remanded him to the house in Nevada, and sentenced him to house arrest for fifty years. At the end of six months, Zee had everything back that Felipe had taken, save the contracts. It allowed the King to save face, even though they all knew Zee was retiring anyway.

"Maybe if took my advice you might just find yourself not having to wed the first female you fucked, in what? Like seventy-five years! Shit, if you ask me, a steady supply of pussy might do wonders for you!"

If not for her speed, Sookie wouldn't have been able to stop Oliver from attacking Zee. Such as it was, she did stop him. She got in his way and when he showed his dominance, she bowed, but didn't move from his path.

"See what I mean?" Lysander said, shaking his head. "Your temper is shit, and your company is worse. Honestly, I never thought I would see the day when being around Nim and Sai was easier than being with you two!" He rose from the beach chair looking disgusted. "That means that Father is now the fun one in the family, Felipe De Castro. Un-freakin-believable!"

Lysander walked away, cursing as he went. He didn't return to the villa. Instead he tested the ocean to no doubt chase the faery who was frolicking in the waters. That left Sookie with Oliver, her suddenly temperamental sibling. She waited for him to speak, but he said nothing.

"May I propose a fourth option?"

Oliver gave a jerky shake of his head. Sookie had run her words through her mind several times and she was fairly confident they wouldn't wound or offend. She was also sure they could help.

"For all intents and purposes, you are a Prince. Any wedding documents drawn up will not be very complex."

"It is made even easier because Ginny is offering me half of everything, and is willing to name me King Regent of her state. She is asking nothing in return."

"That is quite generous, overly so, in fact," she observed. "May I ask why you are refusing?"

"I do not believe in the institution of marriage. I would have been happy to sit beside her forever, but she insists that by not marrying her I am not keeping her honor intact."

"She is a Queen, so perhaps—"

"I know her, and I know its bullshit! She wants an alliance to our line to fortify her rule, and this is a perfect way to get it! She doesn't care that it makes me unhappy!"

"You explained this to Daddy?" Sookie asked.

Another jerky nod, "He is choosing to side with her because this will be a good way to extend his reach into Moshup."

Sookie could easily see the logic in Felipe's decision. For one, it was a matter of what was best for Oliver. He would ascend to the title of King; something she knew would fill the King with pride. Then there was the monetary aspect. Queen Genevieve's state was profitable and her rule was stable, considering her young age. It proved she was strong. While that would ordinarily be concerning, Oliver was her Mate, so she would meet the veil before allowing harm to come to him.

The Queen was about to explain to her brother all the reasons and sub reasons, but she stuck to her script. The derailment of this conversation was something that she did not want.

"If I were to marry, I would have Daddy handle the specifics and that would take priority."

Oliver caught onto her train of thought because his scowl faded. "You chose someone already?"

No, she hadn't. Sookie had been so indifferent that she hadn't been able to look at her father's or Dorian's choice with any sort of partiality. Now that she was forced to, she chose neither. Her curiosity won out.

"I believe Grayson is a good choice," She lied smoothly.

After all, Grayson had something that he thought would be of interest to her. "Our wedding contracts will be complex and quite extensive. I will do minor sabotage to further complicate the matter."

"That gives me time," He murmured.

"You must use this time to force Genevieve to abandon her quest for marriage."

"I don't want to hurt her," He said.

"Yes. You have made that very clear."

He smiled, and it was sheepish, but he was smiling and it was because of her. Victory, Sookie had done what she had set out to do.

"I am very sorry, Shy'ra. Please forgive my behavior," he said, running a hand through his hair. "I am feeling a little out of my head."

"You are forgiven."

He pulled her off the ground and hugged her, then headed for the water. "Do you not wish to hear the rest?" She asked as he began to shed his shoes and shirt.

"I trust you, and I very much want to drown my useless little brother."

"Zee's advice is the goal," She stated. "He is not useless."

Oliver nodded with a smile. "Not sure why I didn't think of that. Make Ginny live with the misery she is causing me?"

"Precisely," Sookie said.

"I'm still going to drown him though..."

It wasn't fatal, Sookie thought, so there was no need for concern. Most importantly, Oliver was the vampire that her memories dictated. "Very well, then. What would you have me do?" she asked.

There was a sinister and playful expression on Oliver's face. "Help."

The swimming exercise with her brothers was much less rigorous than the one she had with Caspian who had left the water after the second vampire addition. Oliver made good on his plan to drown Lysander. Sookie helped though she didn't find nearly as much joy in watching him cough up salt water as Oliver did.

Sookie supposed Lysander didn't mind his drowning because he didn't retaliate. He was smiling and so was Oliver. Sookie spent as much time as she could, but then the mask began to slip and the robot started to show. Before she left she made sure both her brothers understood the plan and that Oliver was himself again.

It was almost dark when she and Caspian arrived back at her house. He left her alone knowing she needed it. Moments like when she had overused the mask leaving it vulnerable to cracking or breaking, she would consign herself to the panic room. In those instances the void was never more dreadful. She truly could not say what she was capable of during those times.

Sookie sat in the panic room filled with so many things from her past. Some of them belonged to her, but most of them were items that had belonged to her fallen husband. Before Pam had gone entirely off the grid, she had made sure Sookie received the keys to the house in Shreveport she had shared with Eric and her little farmhouse in Bon Temps. When both she and Eric had been gone Pam had taken care of both properties. After choosing things at random to take with her, Sookie had never set foot into either home again, though she kept them maintained.

There was so much in the room that served as a direct link to her past and to Eric. He was a face from her past, so all the Queen could do was to stare at her lifeless reflection in the mirror. She watched and she waited, testing until she could once again wear the mask. Sookie had accepted that there was nothing; not sex, a new husband, nor a baby would cure her. The mask and the hollowness it hid were her forever.


	8. Chapter 8

Sookie sent a message to her father informing him of her decision to pursue King Grayson. If she had been expecting Felipe to be shocked or otherwise curious, he wasn't. Either she was failing to read it or Felipe had foreseen this. In fact, as the call ended the Queen began to rethink the series of events leading up to the phone call she had made to her father.

It was clear Felipe had manipulated the series of events, so that Sookie would find a husband. That was the true meaning behind his unscheduled visit, the one that had led to her party. The goal wasn't marrying off Oliver, it wasn't even a party, it was Sookie. The party would provide her with options when her brother called her for help, just as Felipe had known Oliver would. Felipe had counted on Sookie's loyalty forcing her to make a choice. No one who knew him would ever accuse Felipe of not being a master planner.

The following day, Sookie's theory was confirmed when her father invited her to a preliminary meeting he was having with Grayson at the week's end. She knew that the King was playing it close because he had to be in Washington mere hours after the meeting. In truth, both Kings should be attending the summit as they were in the same territory, but Grayson was infamous for showing his face once every few decades. To gaze upon him twice in one month was a noteworthy thing.

Sookie's jet was delayed on the runway, so she was late to the meeting. When she arrived at the penthouse of the Grand Hotel, Grayson was there. There had been six of his guards outside the building. There were six more in front of the penthouse elevators. She could identify them with ease because she knew all her father's vampires by face, if not by name. Plus, they seemed to stand out in some way that she couldn't fully understand or explain. They just didn't belong.

"Otto, you may go," Sookie said.

She had left Dorian back in Louisiana, the only person left with her was Galleon. She kept him with her as she entered the penthouse.

"Forgive my tardiness," The Queen said.

She greeted her father with a hug and he kissed her head. Sai and Nim nodded at her. Grayson stared.

"King Grayson," The Queen said with a nod. "I am glad you have come."

"Nothing would have kept me away," he replied with a nod of his own.

Vampires making polite conversation was similar to humans doing the same. Sookie was wading through it blindly. In this instance, she was able to busy herself with her bottle of blood and her water. There wasn't much by way of any other meal, but eating around other vampires was considered rude. The last solid meal she had had was with Caspian on the island two days ago. Her body was feeling it.

"If you are in need of a meal, please, do not allow me to interrupt," Grayson said, looking at her. "Human food does not bother me."

"I thank you for your understanding, King Grayson," Sookie said to him, and then she turned to her father. "I know you are scant on time so we should move this along."

"Unfortunately," Felipe said. "I am out of time entirely. I have a flight, mija. Victor and Heidi will chaperone the remainder of the visit. I trust you and King Grayson can agree on preliminaries."

As he was speaking, he was simultaneously rising from his seat and donning a knee-length pea coat. Unlike the cape that was very frequent for him, this garment spoke of his journey into colder weather. It was true that vampires didn't register temperatures short of burning or freezing, but Felipe was one to do whatever he did in style. Her father kissed her head. but in his mind she got a different message.

Normally Caspian would be the one to go to in dealing with emotions but Grayson was vampire. He was a King. No one would know more on how to engage him the way her father would. Felipe's advice before he had departed had been simple.

_"Let him lead. Be firm, fair, and polite."_

Sookie hadn't had much trouble comprehending that. If she wanted Grayson as a husband she would have to endeavor to please him. If she couldn't please him, which she knew she could not, she had to be able to handle him. She could do that.

"I have a request," King Grayson said once her father had gone.

"Of course," Sookie replied politely.

"It is the same as before, I want a moment alone with you."

Sookie didn't have to consider the matter because she had done so already. She waved a hand, and both Heidi and Victor were gone. The guards that had been on either side of the King followed suit. Galleon left her side too, but The Berserker didn't go far. She could hear him in the other room turning on the television and activating the gaming console.

When they were alone, Sookie waited for Grayson to show her this incredibly unique thing he had promised. He rose from his place at the other end of the table and came to sit on the table facing her. He was violating vampire personal space by a wide margin, but she said nothing as she waited.

"I am a true vampire or what you call a hybrid," He said, removing a bronzed amulet from around his neck.

The first thing Sookie noticed was the heartbeat. Then the change in his scent registered. The Queen leaned in to confirm it. Her eyes were not deceiving her. This was no delusion. King Grayson had gone from vampire to a hybrid in an instant! For several seconds the information that she was witnessing failed to compute.

"How is this possible?" Sookie asked, moving closer to him. They were close enough to touch and it was only out of respect that the Queen did not take that liberty.

"You may touch me if you wish," He offered. "As my wife you will always have that right."

Sookie did. The fingers of one hand rested on his left wrist to gauge his pulse. The fingers of the other were at his neck doing the same. Her eyes were on the flush of his cheeks and the rising of his flesh from her chilly fingers.

"How did you remain hidden?" The Queen asked. "I searched the world ten times over."

When Sookie was a child, she had longed to find another like herself. She couldn't recall the motivation behind the search, but it had been real. Her father had helped her search. He had enlisted Saul the Procurer and every asset he possessed, but it had been fruitless. Yet, before her stood a hybrid, not only a hybrid, but a hybrid king and he had lived next door. The genius in her was interested.

The King of Three smiled as he replaced the amulet. Sookie watched as the artifice came back in effect. This was the most sensory dynamic thing she had ever experienced, ever. She looked and knew that there was so much to be seen, but yet, she couldn't see it. This discovery was beyond extraordinary.

"Surely Her Majesty does not expect me to reveal all my secrets in one night?"

Indeed, Sookie had expected just that because she was a powerful Queen, and it wasn't often that her questions went unanswered and her attention was captivated.

"What then would it take to learn your secrets?" She asked.

He moved closer so he was towering over her. He traced her jaw line with a finger as he replied. "If you were my wife, I would keep nothing from you."

"I have already told my father I wish to wed you."

"And I, you, I want that more than anything."

"In the interim I wish to learn about you, your origins, and physiology as it compares to mine. What is the price of this?"

"Your time," He replied, cupping her face in his hand. "I think with every second I spend with you, I fall in love."

Sookie knew that there was much that she was lacking, but her intellect wasn't at all. Answering questions, solving puzzles had nothing to do with emotions. When Grayson pressed his lips to hers in a kiss, she did her best to match him. Yet all she could think of was how much she could learn of her own physiology in comparison to his, not just that but how she was helping Oliver by following through on the union.

"I meant what I said," Grayson said, when they pulled apart. "Human foods do not bother me. I eat."

Sookie ordered food and watched as Grayson ingested it. It wasn't that she had doubted what she saw; she had just never recorded evidence of that fact until now. Vampires, as rapidly as they healed, wouldn't risk eating food. It caused an illness similar to Sino-Aids. The King ate, and any doubt of his claim evaporated. Sookie ate her generous portions and when Grayson ate less than she did she inquired as to why.

"You prefer blood over solids?" Sookie asked.

He shook his head with a smile. "Quite the contrary, too much blood from the night before has ruined my appetite."

"Yes, that has happened to me many times," The Queen told him.

It was one of the many side effects of being around full vampires. Sookie kept night hours because she ruled over the Undead. She had blood because it was faster. Most mornings she raced the train because sleep did not come for days at a time. The only times she truly had meals was with Caspian.

"On average, what is your normal caloric to blood intake?"

"Twice that of a mortal, less blood than the Undead."

The same was true for her. Sookie asked questions about his speed and things of that nature, and Grayson answered. Throughout her interview he had kept her hand in his, and still didn't mind when the mask began to slip. It was as if he was oblivious to the robot. When she inquired about his origins, he wasn't forthcoming. Presumably this is one of the secrets that she would have to be his wife to learn.

"I will tell you that it differs from yours. I was born. You were, half turned. I have never heard of such a thing. I did not believe the claims, none of us did. That was why I came to meet you."

There are more hybrids. It was so obvious now. That must be why his borders were sealed. When Zee had been an entertainer, his shows in that state were rare because permission was almost impossible to get, given that the parameters were so stringent. For instance, Zee's passes were good for two days at a time, and he was forbidden to leave the locations for which he had requested permission.

"I would like to discuss terms," Grayson said, changing the subject. "My hard limits are monogamy. I will not share you and I want children, at least three or more if none of them is male."

The Queen acquiesced with no hesitation.

Grayson smiled. "I thought that would be a point of contention."

Sookie gave him her best smile. "No, not at all. As your wife I will endeavor to please you."

The Queen couldn't really decipher the expression on his face. It could be adoration or awe, but he kissed her and she responded, rather her body responded. It was similar to instances where she would forget to eat, sleep, or stay in the panic room for too long, and didn't notice she was slowly suffocating. Something in her, a primal something that was intent on saving itself made her remember, made her act. This was similar but stronger.

It was no longer a subtle interference in her robotic thought process; it was a forceful shove in her head. The more aroused she became, the less thoughts she had that didn't revolve around the flesh. Her baser self beat back the robot and buried the hollowness, deep down in a place where she could not see. It didn't bring her back, it just gave her body free reign.

Sex, it appeared, had great potential to improve her condition. It was interesting for Sookie to know that her mind was losing control to her body. With every touch and every kiss Grayson placed on her skin, her mind lost more ground. She was seated astride him and could feel the evidence of his desire. It added to the ache. Her body reacted, if not overreacted, as Grayson's hands roamed her body; her sex gushing, her hips rolling, and her body heating.

"I want you," Grayson said, reaching for the zipper on her dress.

"Yes," The words escaped, but then reason set in. "I want to, but I cannot, not tonight."

In fact, her jet was going to miss its place on the runway if she delayed further. Sookie could reschedule many things, but not her plans for tomorrow. For starters she didn't know exactly what she would be doing. She simply knew she had to be back in Oklahoma to await Caspian's surprise birthday present.

When Sookie left for the airport, Grayson accompanied her. He kept her hand in his, something he had been doing all evening, except now that it was awakened, her body paid heed. When he kissed her goodbye, the hunger returned. How odd…

"You will have to deal with my father on the specifics of the contract, but I will see you at month's end, sooner if I am able."

He smiled at her again with that expression she couldn't decipher. "I have waited centuries for a female like you," He told her. "You were worth every day, and together we can bring our race into the night without fear."

* * *

**Closing Notes:** I know everyone is curious about Grayson and there are questions about other hybrids but the real question is, what is Sookie's present? How did it come to be and what will it mean? I can't wait to see all your thoughts and guesses on my review page!


	9. Chapter 9

**Opening Notes:** Well Let's just jump right into it. There will be four chapters this week so if you are rationing you can easily do every other day until next week. Of course, a great big shout out to for her tireless work. And also a big thank you to my avid reviewers. I am sending you lots of hot Viking kisses! For all of you none reviewers, I want you to know that it's okay but I will be sending Bill to spank you all :D

* * *

_'Why did I get ever married?'_

Eric Northman asked himself this as he listened to his ex-wife go on a tirade that would give even the Queen of Bitches and the Queen of Witches a migraine. He might be used to Freyda's brand of bad behavior, but Good God! It still got to him like he couldn't believe! Then again that was to be expected when you met your spouse in a pediatric psych ward.

When it was good, it was good but when it was bad it was all he could do from murdering her. When Eric had left Freyda for good… Napalm had gone off! It wasn't a figure of speech. She had torched the garage he used for a studio. She had started the fire with the both of them in it! When he had filed for divorce… It had been Armageddon, and she had cost him his job. When he had actually gone through the proceedings in court… It was the End of Days. That time she had nearly succeeded in taking her life.

Two years later, and he was still struggling to break free of his ex-wife. So yes, Eric was used to her antics. Freyda seemed to take his unwillingness to get back together as an invitation to go further out of her mind.

"Why do you fucking hate me so much?" Freyda sobbed.

It could be that Freyda had been his first in all the ways that shaped a person. She was his first everything and he'd been hers. She had been the one thing that he wanted when he had felt as if there was truly nothing left in this world for him. It was so hard to explain. Till this day, Eric didn't know what it was.

"I just want you to love me!" She screamed between sobs. "Why don't you love me?"

Eric pulled the phone from his ear and counted to ten as she continued to rant and rave. "Free, you know I don't hate you," he replied calmly.

"Yes, you do!" She screamed. "You wish I was dead! I'll make your wish come true! I'll kill myself and maybe then you'll be happy! Maybe then you'll care!"

Eric banged his head against the wall at his back. He knew she had issues, but where the hell did she come up with this shit? That day twelve years ago when he set eyes on her, something in him shifted, locked into place, and it was centered on her. He honestly hadn't been living until he met her. Until that moment he had been a bystander in his own life. Their relationship was passionate and turbulent; essential, yet so dysfunctional.

Eric loved Freyda, but he cursed her name quite often. That being said, he could never for a second imagine a world without her. It honestly wasn't one he could live in. She was Heaven and Hell colliding in his head all at once. He had known that he would burn. He had been eager to do so, excited even, but then from the flames, he had grown and wanted out. She was trying to drag him right back in.

He couldn't allow her. Instead he moved right on to his scripts to contain the raging hurricane that was Freyda Watterson.

"I could never stop loving you, but I am not in love with you. We both agreed that we are not good for each other."

"Stop saying that, it's not true!"

That wasn't a discussion that he was willing to get into at the moment, plus her therapist agreed with Eric, and that was all that mattered.

"Whatever, that's not why I called," He snapped. "I just wanted to tell you I won't make your session on Tuesday or the visit on Saturday. Doctor Whitley already knows."

Her screaming continued, but then slowly turned into quiet weeping.

"But why won't you come see me? What did I do wrong?" she whispered as if defeated. "I've been taking my meds even though they hurt my stomach, and I'm going to group and—"

Her voice sounded so small and sad as if she knew no one would care if they heard her crying anyway. This was the Freyda that Eric had the hardest time with, the broken doll that remained in the wake of the raging storm.

"I know, Free, and I'm proud of you for doing so well."

She made an unintelligible noise of acknowledgment, but kept crying quietly.

Eric knew what he was supposed to do when she got like this. Free's Doctor had told him repeatedly that he needed to let her "self soothe." Give her a chance to use the coping skills she was learning, that way she would be able to regulate her emotions and become less emotionally dependent on him over time. He saw the wisdom in it, he truly did, but when she got like this… He couldn't help himself. Her pain was rooted to his soul it seemed. Not trying to soothe her was like trying not to breathe.

"Free, don't cry. Please, sweetheart."

"I miss you and I just want to go home, please."

As out of control as he knew she was, as horrible as an idea as it would be, it entered Eric's mind to give her what she wanted, at least for a split second.

"I know. I miss you too, but you know why you can't come home," He told her. "You know I would never do anything to hurt you, and I would do anything to help you get better."

"Yes."

"So you have to understand that I'm not blowing off the visit, and I'm not punishing you or being mean. It is a really big client and they want me to go out to them. That's it. I'll be back in a week."

She made another noise and struggled to calm herself. For a good ten minutes she failed. Every time she did, it ate at him. Letting her continue to fail was suffocating him, but he grit his teeth and bore it. If this was five years ago, Eric would hum a tune to her until she was calm enough to guess the song and then she would sing. For those few minutes, all would be well in the world. He didn't.

Instead he asked, "How was your day?"

He listened to her talk and after a while she sounded like herself. It was a good time to get off the phone.

"So remember I won't be there Saturday, but I'll call, alright? Be good."

"Rude troll, don't order me around."

Eric rolled his eyes. For all her issues, Freyda was a stickler for manners and decorum that should be decades beyond her.

"Please, pretty please with a chocolate covered orange on top, please be good?" He told her. "I'll be very far away, and I can't come back if you aren't… I really need this gig. We need this, Free. Behave."

It wasn't as if Freyda's stay at the private residential Psych facility was free. Hell, Eric would take a frequent visitor discount, but he didn't even have that, although Freyda lived there for the most part. Since the divorce he never went back to the house they'd shared. He was paying for it in the hope that when she got stable, she would have a place to go. So far, that hadn't happened for more than two months at a time, so he was living with his publicist, agent, and best friend, Natalie Boudreau and her architect husband, Neil.

"I only need you," Freyda said.

Eric knew that he was the last thing she needed, but no one could ever convince her otherwise. It would forever be useless to try.

"I'll be gone," He reiterated. "I'll call when I can, but I'll see you next Tuesday, I promise."

"Okay. I love you."

"I love you more," He told her, and he was paying for it dearly. He would be doing so until Freyda got better or he was able to stop loving her more than himself. He knew the answer. The former was the only option, and that was why he poured everything into her treatment. He had to believe she would get better.

Eric hung up before Freyda could say something distressing or discomforting. The dial tone was ringing in his ear, but he just kept knocking the old school receiver against his head. With every knock it was as if he could almost forget Freyda's voice. The way she made him feel both good and bad were there, but her wounded tone faded the harder he hit himself on the head.

"Give me that!" Nat said, snatching the phone from Eric's hands. "If Neil sees you doing that I'll be on your couch!"

"I live here, Nat," Eric pointed out.

"I know that, but dude, seriously?" She gestured empathically to her swollen belly.

The ninja agent was seven months pregnant and was prepping for her upcoming downtime. In other words, she was more cutting and worked harder than usual, if one could imagine such a thing. Eric thought he couldn't, but then Nat had gotten him a job that paid high six figures. For a Restorative Art Specialist, it was the gig of a lifetime. Eric had jumped at the chance, even though the job was something right out of his worst nightmares.

"Why are you calling the Cuckoo's Nest today of all days? She will fly the coop and come here, and then Neil will put all our asses out on the curb."

He just shook his head. He was well past the point of telling Nat to leave Freyda alone. Also for the most part, she was right about his ex.

"Will not," Neil said. "I'll keep the prettiest one of the three."

"Well, it was nice knowing you," Eric told Nat with a smile.

"Sorry, babe," Neil said with a sad nod.

"Our baby will be so much cuter than Eric will ever be," She said proudly.

"Is that baby coming now?" Neil replied.

Eric laughed. He didn't feel as if he was intruding even though he had lived here for a year. Nat and Neil were the happiest people he knew, and even from across a crowded room if they looked at each other, you knew it. Whenever anyone got close it was impossible not to suffer the gravitational pull of their happiness.

"I need between six and eight weeks, but just look at this face," She framed her hands around her face. "I'm good for it. I promise she'll be the prettiest thing you've ever seen," Nat said, rubbing her belly affectionately.

Eric and Neil shared a pained look that made Nat laugh. "Come back then, cause Eric is her now and he's young, blond, dumb, and just wants to have fun," Neil supplied.

"Yup," Eric agreed. "I came for the fun but stayed for the pancakes so…"

Neil prepared breakfast, Eric helped, and Nat acted as the cheerleader. After breakfast, he did his last minute checks in case to insure that he hadn't forgotten anything. It was another aspect of this project that he wasn't comfortable with. He had to practically pack up his studio and drive because airport security was fussy about allowing paints, sharp knives, and staple guns on board. He also didn't trust anyone to ship his tools anywhere.

Eric couldn't really complain. He wouldn't actually be doing the driving. The client had been kind enough to send a coach. He would start clocking for the job the minute the car started moving. They hadn't minded that either, even though driving added two whole days to the five day job. It would be almost twenty hours each way driving from Vancouver in British Columbia to Oklahoma in the States where he would be meeting with…vampires.

Laughter pulled him from his thoughts. "You just thought of the 'V' word, didn't you?" Nat asked. "I saw you shudder."

"Please, don't remind me," Eric said.

In addition to it being a vampire client, it was a vampire Queen. Of course, that was why Nat had fought so hard to land the contract, despite knowing that Eric had an aversion to the fang. Eric would categorize himself as open-minded. He didn't have any biases, and he was very far from a bigot, but at the word 'vampire' alone, he shuddered again. This time Nat didn't laugh. She came over and took his hand.

"I wouldn't have done it if I didn't think you could deal," She told him seriously.

She was trying to work him and he gave her a dirty look for her troubles. "Okay, fine. I thought with the money involved, I might be able to actually take a few days off to have this baby instead of having it on my lunch break at work."

He laughed. "You're such an ass, but I definitely understand. Your commission alone might allow you to break from The Studio and go solo."

She nodded excitedly. "And say what you want about vampires, but their money is old and their pockets are deep."

"I don't have a problem with them. I would just rather not be around, talk about, hear about, or even think of them ever," God forbid actually having to see one. He'd had enough of that when he was a kid.

She shrugged. "Well, just think about this, doing this project for a vampire Queen could finally get you from behind the canvas. You are better than just a conservative and restorative specialist; with something high profile like this, you could kiss that mess goodbye."

Not that he hated what he did at The Studio. It really was fulfilling. Eric had touched some of the greatest pieces of art in history. He had restored masterpieces by masters from hundreds of years ago. With every canvas he had worked on, Eric could almost hear the strokes of its creator as they had given life to art. He liked what he did, but he stayed for the benefits.

What Nat was describing sounded like a dream to Eric, where he could do what he loved and what he loved to do could actually pay his bills. If he didn't get his head in the game, then his fear of vampires would cost him a chance at his dreams. During the very long drive he promised himself he would do his best to desensitize to the Undead. He doubted a near-lifelong fear would be cured in less than a day, but he would try his damnedest.

"You're right," He admitted.

"I know."

"Sweet, is that your ride?" Neil asked.

They all turned toward the driveway where a sleek, black, luxury sedan was pulling up to the curb.

"I don't know," Eric replied.

Honestly he didn't have a lot of details and neither did Nat. Privacy had been the headline of this whole thing. Nat had to sign about a dozen gag orders before they told her what they wanted him for. She didn't have a phone number, an address, or an email address. All either of them knew were the names of the drivers, Roger Hans and Alfred Kelley. Having so little to go off of didn't make Eric any more comfortable either.

Two men came out of the car and they looked rather normal for vampire employees, Eric thought. Very unlike the overdone, collar wearing, self-proclaimed 'humans pets' that were nothing more than disturbed individuals looking for love in all the wrong places. They dressed in black suits, white shirts and black ties. Very normal, perhaps he could pick their brain on the drive, figure out what he was up against. The best defense was a good offense.

"Good morning. My name is Roger Hans, and this is Alfred Kelley from BC Coach."

So much for being able to gather any information, Eric thought as his anxiety rose. Nat made brief introductions, and without any delay, both men began loading Eric's bags and boxes of supplies into the trunk of the car.

"If I get murdered," Eric began. "I want you to know that I will haunt your ass forever."

Nat laughed as she hugged him. "I love you, okay, try to have fun. You never know, this might turn into something great!"

Eric hugged Nat enthusiastically as her condition would allow, but he seriously doubted that. If the look on Neil's face was any indicator, Eric knew that he wasn't the only one.


	10. Chapter 10

"Mr. Northman."

Eric lingered in that foggy place where he was awake, but refusing to part with sleep. He had been dreaming of nothing just the many miles and miles of roadside that he had driven by in the past ten hours. There had been a lot, and he wished he retained enough of it put on paper, but he had been overwhelmed. He had never been one with a thirst for adventure. He would have been happy to have never left his small town in Casselman. Once he left there, he'd found more trouble in Ontario than he knew what to do with.

Needless to say, traveling the world never appealed to him, but he could see the allure. In the ten hours that he was awake, he had left the country for the first time and traveled through four states in America. There had been rural country sides, fields, and areas of just nothing, but then somewhere before Nebraska he saw a beautiful little skyline glistening under the twilight. Now he was…where was he?

"Mr. Northman," Roger called. "We're here."

Eric scrubbed a hand over his face and sat up. He got out the car thanking the age he was born in that the back seat of a car reclined and had a foot rest. As he stretched, he looked around. What he saw didn't seem right. There was no way he was in Oklahoma. It was still dark out, and they weren't scheduled to arrive until very early the morning.

Seeing he was going to be consulting with a vampire Queen, Eric expected to be in a palace. From all the digging Nat had done, she had one built decades ago. The cost of it was still a matter of debate. It was up there though. So then why was he looking at a little brownstone that seemed entirely unassuming? That could either be very good or very bad.

"Where are we?" Eric asked.

"Oklahoma," Roger replied with a polite smile. "We made excellent time."

"Yeah, I'd say."

No wonder he was confused. Even with the scheduled stops for gas, food, and fresh air that lasted longer than they were supposed to, the drivers had shaved almost five hours off the drive while he had either been zoning out on his sketch pad and iPod or napping.

"We got a call from your contact with the Queen while you were asleep. This is where you will be staying for the length of your contract."

Alfred was already emptying the trunk and taking his things inside. Having no other choice, Eric grabbed his bags and followed. The inside of the home was nothing like the outside suggested. It wasn't luxurious; it was elegant, pristine, and very clean. Minus the mirrors and many glass fixtures, it reminded Eric of a psych ward, what with all the white walls, white leather couches, and white rugs. He wasn't sure if he should take his shoes off, or lie down and start talking about his issues.

"Please sign this," Alfred said, sliding Eric a piece of paper.

After glossing over the document Eric signed his name on the electronic tablet. "Thank you for choosing BC Coach."

'I didn't,' Eric thought to himself as they filed out the door.

The first thing Eric did was find a phone. He had lost all reception back in one of the Dakota's. It could have been North or South, he wasn't sure. It was on his mind to call Nat to let her know how his trip was, but out of habit, he dialed the hospital. It wasn't until the line connected and he heard the greeting of the hospital did realize what he'd done. Seeing he was already on the line, he might as well ask.

"How was her day?" he wondered.

"Okay," The nurse replied. "She seemed withdrawn, but she made noted efforts to join all the group activities and she earned her preferred alone time in the music room. She is writing a song."

Eric couldn't keep the smile off his face or his voice. "Really?" Free hadn't written a song in years.

"Yes. Doctor Whitley thinks that supplementing her normal Tuesday session and Saturday visitation with the music room might be better than her trying to go through both without you."

"I think so too," Eric said.

He hated himself, but he just couldn't break his link to that woman. As he talked about her to some nurse, he couldn't help but wonder, his heart couldn't help but ache for her and his hands burned to hold hers.

"Is she sleeping?"

"Nope," The woman said with a laugh. "She's still in there, but no one minds."

Eric knew she was moving closer to the room. He heard the footfalls and slowly he could hear the familiar voice. The nurse must have been in the room if only a little far away, but Eric would know that voice anywhere. Freyda was singing a Beyoncé song from almost twenty years ago. Eric was sure that no one under the age of forty knew it, but the way Free sang it sounded so new, so fresh, and so heartrendingly lovely.

"Do you want to speak with her?" the nurse asked after Freyda was finished shaming an icon.

"No," He told the nurse.

That was one of the most unselfish things that Eric had done in long time. It hadn't been easy, but at the same time, it was. The Freyda that he had just witnessed anonymously was the same one that had threatened to kill herself more times than he could count. Twice she had nearly succeeded though he knew she hadn't meant to. If his absence would help her then he would give it.

This moment was hers, and showing that he had been a part of it would take away from it. Listening to her sing and getting confirmation that was trying to get past his absence gave him something that he hadn't had for a long time. Hope. He had unconsciously called her because that was habit. He had known Freyda almost all his life. The minute it was legal, he married her.

Reaching out to her to share something new, difficult, or painful was the norm. He didn't realize how much he had depended on it until right then. Then again, it was his first time away from home, away from her, and everything that he had ever known. Still, he refused to take away from Freyda's progress to ease his ache.

"I just wanted to make sure she was all right."

"It looks like."

"I'm glad," And he truly was.

Eric called Nat afterward and though it was late, his agent was awake. They talked about his journey and all he had seen so far. Something strange that he thought worth sharing was the fact that at the border, Customs hadn't checked passports for anyone in the vehicle. When they'd asked, Alfred handed the officer an envelope.

It wasn't a bribe, Eric saw as the man opened the envelope, and whatever he read sent him scurrying to lift the gates. Now that he thought about it, the drivers had to be driving well over 150 miles per hour for more than several hundred miles. They had done so with no fear.

"But you're good?" Nat asked.

Eric shot her a dirty look. "You don't think it's weird that I'm in this country illegally?"

"First off, you have papers," She replied. "Just because no one checked them doesn't make you illegal. Second, no, not really."

The Queen had hired local people to take Eric away from home, but they knew nothing. They had been contracted to take him from point A to B and that was all. Per their gag order they hadn't been able to even offer guesses. He knew because he had asked.

"I get she wants privacy, but this is kind of extreme, no?" he wondered.

"If Customs asked you questions, you are compelled by the laws of your country to tell the truth. That leads into murky waters what with the gag orders and everything."

"I know you're right, but this just has me on edge."

She shrugged her delicate shoulders. "In my eyes, they are like cat people, no one really knows what's going on their heads."

Eric laughed. They speculated about what the Queen would want. Nat thought that there would be a portrait. He hoped not. Ideally, Eric would go in for the consultation, get a bunch of old pictures to restore or recreate, and that would be all. That was about all the vampire interaction he thought he could stand during his time there.

"I never thought leaving home would bother me."

"It's just because she's not with you."

"Yeah…" Eric admitted. "I thought I would just worry about her, but I miss her too."

"I do, and I wish I could say that I felt sorry for doing this to you, but I don't."

Eric smiled as he replied. "That's because you're a mean bitch."

"Damned straight, pretty boy!" all traces of his best friend gone. In her place was the shark that he had hired to save him from himself. "Freyda isn't crazy and neither are you. She does what she does because you let her. I don't get it, but that's not my problem. You are my problem, and I have no problem pushing when I need to, and letting go if I have to."

"That's why I love you. It's late Nat, get some sleep."

There was no one else on his list to call. That wasn't entirely true. Had he been home, he would have had a mile long list of lovers to choose from. They would drown out that cloying loneliness that he heard when he was by himself, if only for a few hours. Such as it was, there was nothing and no one to take his minds from his thoughts. He could either sit in the strange home with them or he could work. Work won by a landslide.

Eric found the best space in the house to place his supplies. He began to unpack and that didn't take very long. His fingers got restless and he began to work. When the high took over, he forgot everything else. Not even he could fully see what he was creating, but it didn't matter. He gave himself over to the pull of his craft. Even when his body began to tire, his fingers refused to give up on the image coming to life on paper.

When he finally stopped working, Eric was looking at an image of the skyline he had seen. The colors were bright, bold, and beautiful against the black canvas and the white outline of the city. He wouldn't have to meet with the Queen until later that afternoon. That was an upside. It would be daytime. After finding his way to the kitchen and raiding the fully stocked fridge, he crashed.

Nightmares took over the instant his eyes closed, but they weren't as bad as the hallucinations that he'd had as a boy. He was able to sleep undisturbed. When he awoke, he was running late for his meeting with the Queen...that was so not good. He had read the memo and the itinerary. Eric knew if he was more than five minutes late for his appointment with the Queen, it would be canceled and his shot at his dream would be gone forever. Not only that, it would violate his contract, and he would be promptly sued.

In record time Eric got dressed. He had his backpack ready. He knew there was a rental in the garage, but he didn't know that he would have options. There was an SUV, a sports car, and a motorcycle out of his wet dreams. It was starting to feel almost criminal that he was getting paid to live like this for the week. He sat astride the motorcycle and it purred to life.

The thrill of it shot through his veins and he smiled. The route was preset into the navigation. He would make it in time, but once he got the motorcycle going, he drove as if he was trying to break the law. It was like flying. The rush of the wind, the subtle shifts and dips that went with maneuvering the craft were positively exhilarating.

The destination was in a remote area and after going five miles without so much as a house or another soul, his anxiety returned. So far, everything Eric saw told him that his wariness was legit. It was mostly due to the shadiness of the vampire client in question. Still, he followed the winding road up and in the distance he saw it.

"I guess this is the right place then." He whispered to himself.

Eric removed his helmet and sat there marveling at the artistry of the structure before him. It was as if time hadn't touched this place. There was no glare that came from "Green Paint", a substance that coated almost every large building he'd ever seen. It allowed for maximum solar power usage.

As it sat under the sun, the stones that made up the palace seemed to shimmer. The banners billowed in the wind, and on the grounds as far as he could see, there was rolling green grass with fountains sporting immaculately marble statues in between. It was such a pity that vampires lived there.

Eric finally arrived at the front of the black gates that surrounded the palace. There were no guards in sight, there wasn't even a post.

"Good afternoon,"

"Um…hey," Eric replied with a bemused smile.

So far this vampire Queen was two for two because manning the gate of the mind-blowing, old world castle was a stateoftheart hologram. Eric had seen them, but this one was definitely the best projection. Where Holo's tended to look spectral like ghosts, this one was three dimensional and in full color.

The details on it were spot on. Eric could see the very fine laugh lines around his mouth. He could see the stitching in his Butler's jacket and his white gloves. Much like he did with the gate, he resisted the urge to caress the hologram.

"My name is Eric Northman, I have a five o'clock appointment with the Queen."

"Scan is in Progress. Please refrain from movement."

"Sure."

Eric thought it would take at least a few minutes, but it didn't, almost immediately the Holo responded.

"Access granted, Clearance level AD7." The hologram said, and the gates swung open. "Welcome back, Eric Northman."

Eric's manners took over though he'd never been anywhere near here. "Thanks?"

"You are most welcome, Sir. Please, right this way."

Eric rode in behind the hologram and it led the way to a service entrance at the side of the house. Eric saw at least twenty vehicles parked there, that was a good sign. Humans worked here, and they survived it on a daily basis. He should be fine. No reason why he should be any different.

"This way please," The hologram directed.

Eric was about to turn into what he assumed was the employee parking lot. A garage door opened. For one moment, the reality of what he was about to do set in. He was about to enter the palace of a vampire Queen. There was probably a legion of vampires in there. It was one of those moments where he knew his courage and worth as a man should triumph. It did, but being a coward had never been so tempting. As the doors closed behind him, he only hoped he would live to regret it.

The garage was more like a car dealership, Eric thought. He followed the hologram toward the elevators. The ride was short, but the difference was worlds apart. He had gone from cement and steel below to gold and velvet in the window of ten seconds.

"Apologies, Her Majesty is delayed. Please, make yourself comfortable."

Eric heard it, but he couldn't even spare the brain power to process the words. "Is that an original Ruben?" He asked.

"Yes. It was a gift to the Queen from the Senior Prince of Dubai."

"Holy…shit!" Eric whispered.

"Yes, it is quite impressive," replied the hologram.

Eric laughed because he was sure that the hologram was being sarcastic.

"Attendants are en route with refreshments. If you require anything else, I am a fully integrated network, or FIN for short. You may call on me if you have need," Then he left or vanished, rather.

Eric would never tell Nat because her ego just didn't need it, but seeing this painting by one of the Masters was worth the trip in his opinion. In fact, he was enjoying himself. The drive into the state had been easy, and he had painted a stunning portrait from the many beautiful sites he'd seen.

The house that had been provided for him was more than comfortable, and the ride on the motorcycle to this palace was the most fun he'd had alone in…years because for those few minutes Free hadn't been on his mind. Maybe he could actually enjoy this trip even with the vampire presence? Before he could begin to entertain the fantasy an alarm started to blare and the emergency lights began to flash overhead.

"So much for that idea," he muttered to himself.


	11. Chapter 11

The communication that followed could be heard throughout the entire palace. It was the voice of the hologram and it was echoing off every surface.

"Emergency protocol," He said. "This is not a drill. All employees must report to the evacuation site in the sector closest to them. This is not a drill; lock down will commence in sixty seconds. Sixty…"

Eric had taken the elevators and knew for a fact they wouldn't do him any good now. He looked around the room and made way to the double French doors. They were locked. He made way for the other door, and ended up in a hallway. He had absolutely no idea about sectors, but he just needed to run into another person as FIN had clearly forgotten about him. That was what he got for trusting a Holo.

He tried to calm himself so he could think. It was difficult because all the while the emergency broadcasting continued and so did the countdown. So far he'd wasted fifteen seconds. He took a left, at least he saw a window. If he wasn't too high up, he would jump. It wouldn't be the first time. He knew how to fall, and even if he broke a bone, it would be better than whatever was going on in here. He could feel it.

"Shit!" He cursed.

Eric was four stories up. He refused to let his panic catch up with him. There would be time for that after he had gotten himself the hell out of this place. It was a sick joke too, he thought to himself. The one place where he could see so much beauty was full of monsters. He ran back into the room he'd been in as the countdown hit ten. If he could just break the door down, he would at least be on the balcony and could scale down.

"God Damn It!"

The glass was bulletproof, if not tank proof. Eric had kicked and kicked. All he managed to do was scuff it. He could see all the vehicles that he had driven past in the employee lot forming a convoy as they left him there, trapped in a vampire palace. Metal curtains began to slide down from a hidden opening directly against the door.

Eric tried to bar it, he used a nearby table and watched, dismayed as it was crushed to splinters. The same was happening all over the castle. He could hear the groan of metal even over the alarm. The sun was being blotted out, and the room that he had once thought welcoming was sinister as fuck.

"Five…four…three…two…one."

All the noise died abruptly, and the lights went out. It was dark as pitch. "Lock down initiated."

The silence only remained for a second, but in that second panic took hold of Eric. He knew it was useless, but all the memories of the delusions and nightmares were bearing down on him. His thoughts were on Freyda. He truly hoped Nat was right about her. He hoped with him gone she would have no choice but to get better, but he doubted it. What would happen to her?

"Elevated stress patterns detected for Eric Northman."

"No shit!" Eric snapped. He was annoyed, and dealing with all this without any of his meds wasn't helping.

"Yes, shit," The hologram replied. "Please hold, Sir. My system has detected an anomaly."

Eric watched the Holo scan him from head to toe, three times. "Anomaly requires manual processing."

The Holo looked at him as if seeing him for the first time. "You are Eric Northman. You are a human and your heart rate is accelerated from duress."

"Thank you for that, Captain Obvious," Eric said, getting to his feet.

"You are welcome, Lieutenant Smartass."

For some reason, probably a grim acceptance of his impending, bloody murder, Eric laughed. "You're programmed for insults."

"Only to return them," The Holo replied. "I am also wired to respond to sarcasm."

"That's actually kind of cool," Eric said.

"My creator thought so," The Holo replied. "Speaking of which, I must remove you from this room and seal the sector."

"Why?" Eric asked.

Although he asked the question, Eric didn't hesitate. He grabbed his bag and headed for the door. His pace was brisk to match that of the hologram. The lights were shutting and doors were closing behind them automatically as they left. In the reduced lighting of the hall he could see the light strip that allowed the hologram to move as if he was real.

"I have taken the newly-found anomaly into account, and used it as a variable to calculate the odds of your survival during this lockdown."

"That good, huh?"

"If this was Hell, you would be an ice cube," FIN had been doing a rather good job of allowing him to disengage from the very shitty situation he was in. With those odds, not so much.

"Why can't you just open the door and let me out of here?" Eric asked. He would take a straight dive from the second floor if it meant getting out of here.

"Once lockdown is in effect, it may only be lifted by a member of the Line who is not subject to the parameters of said lockdown."

Basically, someone, probably a vampire, would have to let him out from the outside. That sounded bad, but before he could reply something fell. It was a very heavy something in the distance. It was followed by a rain of broken glass. That noise of utter destruction speared Eric in place.

It was like something out of a horror movie because not even in his worst nightmares had he dreamt up a scenario this bleak. All he could envision was a horde of ravenous vampires breaking down doors to get to only human in the house who was stupid enough to miss the evacuation, which, by the way, was the stupid Holo's fault.

"Sir," FIN said, intruding on his fear. "The odds of your survival are plummeting at an alarming rate. It is imperative that you accelerate your pace to its maximum velocity immediately."

Surely if he was in better state of mind, Eric could have comprehended the words. Such as it was he just kept staring. "Huh?" Eric asked.

"Run like hell," FIN instructed. "Because there is a ninety percent chance that you will sustain severe bodily harm or death."

Eric didn't need to be told twice, and he didn't look back, not once. The noise of destruction grew to deafening volumes; walls fell making the ground shake, more glass, and then blood chilling screams. He just kept following FIN until finally he saw a large entry way at the bottom of a winding staircase. That had to be the way out of the sector! It was only a story down, so Eric took the short cut. He leapt over the railing easily sticking the landing and didn't miss a step as he bolted through the double doors. They shut, and he heard the groan of the metal plates as they slid down from the other side.

"Nicely done, Sir," FIN observed.

"Thanks," Eric gasped. He was in excellent shape. In fact, he ran longer distances five days out of the week. It was the fear of what he was running from that had him winded at the moment.

"Is that door going to stop them?" He asked FIN. If had he had to keep running he wanted some notice.

"Singular," FIN corrected. "Her Majesty, Queen Sookie Stackhouse, Princess of Nevada, to be precise."

Eric felt as though he'd been slapped in his brain because for about ten seconds he couldn't formulate a thought.

"To answer your question, yes, the doors will hold her. I have gassed the sector, and will continue to do so as often as it becomes necessary."

"What the fuck is her problem?" Eric fired at the Holo. "Why contract me, drag me all the way the fuck out here just so she can go on a rampage and kill me?" Who does that? What kind of sick fuck was she? He thought to himself.

"I do not know, but rest assured that she is contained, and you are safe. Follow me, sir, I will show you to the kitchens and residence suites."

The shower helped. While he was washing the Run-for-my-life sweat from his body, Eric had calmed considerably. Even after he was clean, he sat on the marble bench and let the mini-waterfall beat down on him. It helped him find some perspective so he could properly analyze his situation, and he found quite a few upsides.

There was only one vampire, not a horde. She was on some kind of rampage, but she was quarantined and would be getting gassed repeatedly. That fact made him very happy. If he was lucky, she would hit her head hard enough that it might fall off her shoulders. It would be no more than she deserved. Maybe then the protocol would lift and he could get the hell out of Castle Dracula. Of course, he would have to explain her vampires what happened. That was bound to end in blood. So it was now a waiting game. Unfortunately, that wasn't a strength of his, but he didn't have a choice.

After his shower he was able to find his way back into the kitchen, and FIN really hadn't been exaggerating. There was enough food to feed a small army. As his Holo buddy suggested, Eric began with the perishable items. It did wonders for his mood. It was a few hours later and he was lying on his back on the king-sized bed of his suite. The room had to be taken out of a book of Old World royalty. If he had to guess, he would say it was Spanish with heavy influence from the early 17th century western European influences.

Eric catalogued everything, and slowly he began to forget that he was on lockdown. He forgot that there was a crazed vampire here with him and that his only companion was a hologram that seemed extremely busy, especially since the sun went down. Eric was gazing up at the elliptical cove above him. It was the color of the purest beaches. It was rimmed with gold that contrasted beautifully with the white ceiling.

Something about the way the way colors blended lulled him. The slower he blinked the deeper they blurred. Before he knew it, Eric's eyelids were heavy. He thought he would sleep, but it didn't come. He tossed and turned for hours, but eventually he had to give up on sleep when his thoughts turned dark.

It was stupid to roam the castle. For all he knew, he would uncover a mummy in a closet, but there was just so much to see. He wouldn't go far he promised himself. He slung his jeans on and set out to bravely or stupidly explore. He wasn't yet sure which fit. When FIN had taken him from the Queen's private apartments to his with a pit stop in the kitchen, he hadn't been too happy, and only paid enough attention so he wouldn't confuse his suite for hers.

As Eric retraced his steps, he saw things that he hadn't before, such as the way archways changed from one sector to another, it was like transcending one century to another. Depending on where you were, you could go from the 14th to the 17th century by walking through just a few rooms. The differences were slight. Unless you had lived it or studied it for a living, you would miss it. As someone who studied and was admittedly obsessed, Eric could attest that the Queen had to have been there because even the drapery matched the century.

FIN had explained to Eric that while he was a fully integrated network and had access to everything in the castle with an electronic pulse, he was also busy. Yes, the Holo had attitude. He had showed Eric how to access everything else by voice command. Eric had to admit that it was quite handy. He found his way into a ballroom and the lights came on as he made his way across the vast space.

"Lights at full power," he said.

Not for the first time today he was awed and inspired by the beauty. All too easily he could take this room and place it five hundred years in the past. The chandeliers, the floor to ceiling mirrors, the hand-carved chairs, and fireplaces took over his mind. For a long time, Eric was in the ballroom, knowing that once he left this place he would never come back.

Come hell or high water, Eric told himself that he would survive this. He needed to paint all this splendor, if only for himself alone to skinflint over when he was an old man. That would be more than enough. After the ballroom, Eric sought out the kitchen and while he had learned that there were many food stations, the main kitchen was three sectors away, and he had to walk past the Queens quarantined apartments to get there.


	12. Chapter 12

That was how he heard her screaming. It left him frozen mid-step. The scream wasn't one of fury; it was of pain. Not just pain, the pitch rang with pure anguish. She was being tortured. It was probably nothing more than she deserved, he told himself. He could entertain the cruel thought to assuage his discomfort because he knew that it was also impossible. The Queen was alone behind those doors, right?

Eric knew he should walk away, but he couldn't. He stood there watching the door as her screaming continued. Maybe FIN had forgotten about her too.

"FIN," Eric called.

The hologram appeared almost immediately. "You rang, sir?"

"I think you need to gas her again," Eric said.

"Her threat level is less than one percent. She would be safe to be placed around a Fae infant."

Eric didn't know what a Fae was, but he knew what he was hearing and it was distressing. "Just do it, so I don't have to listen to that racket."

"While lockdown is in effect, the utilization of weapons defense is based solely on threat levels, not noise decibels. Her Majesty is not a threat to herself or others. The cylinders will not deploy."

"What about her stress patterns?" Eric argued. "Can't you read them and do something?"

"Stress sensors have been deactivated for the Queen for a lack of baseline. She will be engaged on threat levels alone," FIN reiterated.

Of course she was, Eric thought in disgust.

"What if she's hurt?" He wondered. "You wouldn't be able to see."

The television changed, and Eric was looking at live footage of the Queen. She had utterly decimated whatever room she was in. He could see bloody claw marks on the walls and the gates over the windows and doors. There wasn't a single fixture left standing. In the darkest corner of the room, the Queen was curled into a ball. Her clothes were in ruin and her face in her knees.

"She is vampire," FIN explained, cutting the footage. "Short of a fire, a full beheading, or massive heart damage, all of which are not plausible by the way, she will heal."

It made no sense, but Eric was suddenly pissed at the Holo and concerned about the creature behind the door. He always had Free after his parents had abandoned him. He honestly couldn't imagine being so strong that no one worried about him, and that included a hologram that he had created. Eric said nothing, and the holographic butler faded as instantly as he had arrived.

Eric told himself to walk away so he didn't have to hear the screaming and the inaudible mumbled pleas. He did just that, but then about halfway across the ball room, he turned around. He should want to get as far away from this deranged Queen as possible.

The fact that she was screaming bloody murder shouldn't matter, but he just couldn't take another step toward his rooms. It was the step that would put him in a place where her pain couldn't reach. That was why he went back. The only thing worse than suffering alone was knowing that people saw, but no one cared. Eric had lived it. If he needed any confirmation that he was stupid, he just got it.

Eric sat in the den that was around the corner from the Queen's residence. There was a television and he found a movie. At first he had the volume at full blast to drown out the screaming, and then when something behind the door made the ceiling shake, it all went quiet. Obviously FIN had gassed her. At least that was better than the screaming.

Day One in Palace of the Undead was rampage and tormented screams. Day Two was racking sobs and pain-filled screams.

"FIN," Eric called.

The Holo appeared. "Good day, sir, how may I be of service?"

"She's crying," He pointed out to the Holo.

As Eric said those words, he knew that he was pointing out nothing new. If the programming could detect elevated stress patterns of a stranger, then it knew that its creator was balling her eyes out. Eric knew that, but what he didn't get was why it wasn't programmed to do anything about it.

For that matter, Eric had no idea why some vampire shedding tears bothered him so much. Truth be told, it didn't just bother him, it rankled deeply. It made no sense. He was adverse to this whole situation, the Queen included. Listening to her cry for hours on end…only a monster would be numb to that. It was like watching Free cry, but worse somehow. All he knew was that he wanted it to stop.

"While lockdown is in effect, the—"

"I'm not asking you to gas her," Eric said. "Maybe call someone familiar to talk her down."

"You are the only one available. You may be in a position to soothe Her Majesty's distress."

Eric considered it seriously, though he had no reason. Then he thought of Free, Nat, and Neil. Finally he thought of himself. Going in there would be suicide, but he couldn't deny it, he wanted to. It wasn't curiosity, or suicidal ideation. It was something else, something more. That was exactly why he didn't.

"Any other suggestions?" He asked the Holo.

"Relocation to one of the other fifty three dens in the palace?"

FIN faded again into the light strips that had brought him there. It must have been clear to the Holo that Eric wasn't going anywhere. Eric knew it too, but he couldn't fathom why. So he spent the rest of day listening to her cry. He wasn't willing to risk his life to pacify her, and the pain that caused her tears continued to rip her apart it seemed.

After four hours of sobbing and fifteen minutes of quiet, Eric was ready to lose it. He knew that he could just leave, walk away, but he couldn't. He turned on the television again. Unlike the night before where it had slowed the screaming, the same channel did nothing for the Queen's crying. Eric flipped through every single channel spending five minutes with each turn.

"Well, what the hell do you want to watch then?" Eric exploded after six more hours of her crying and him channel surfing.

Shit! It wouldn't kill her to help him help her. He was just about done trying. He was trying to be nice to a creature from his nightmares. It was like an arachnophobe giving a spider a helping hand. He was trying, and he was reaching his limits with crazy vampire Queen lady.

"Or do you not want the television?"

There was no response, but no crying either, only the occasional sob. Hopeful, he tempered his tone and moved closer to the door.

"Come on, I'm trying to help you, but you have to give me something."

He could hear the sniffling and gasping that went with someone trying to pull themselves together. Then the television changed on its own.

"Figures," Eric groaned.

The movie was a foreign one in black and white. It was older than Eric; of that much he had no doubt. It sucked worse than he feared, if you could imagine such a thing. Then again, he wasn't exactly expecting some ancient vampire to choose an action flick. It kept her silent, silent enough for him to get some peaceful sleep.

The eyes. Eric had been seeing them his whole life, he had painted them in so many different ways. He had even dreamt about them, and in the delusions he'd had as a boy they had been an anchor. That was why he thought he was dreaming then. They were there, staring right into his form above. He had a trick though.

That was how he was so able to dislodge his delusions from fact when he was a kid. It was only in his dreams that he saw her face, and it was never the same, it was never so vivid, so clear, and so fucking beautiful. For a few seconds he was lost to his imaginings. Nothing he had ever dreamed up had seemed right but this…this was perfect. Her little nose, the stubborn set to her jaw, her brows, and her hair, it was all so right somehow.

That was how Eric knew it wasn't a dream, and if it wasn't a dream or a hallucination, it had to be real. That meant that the eyes that he had been seeing his whole life belonged to a vampire, a vampire that was hovering over him. He reacted without even meaning to. His hands just shot out, and she went careening away and crashing into the wall. Before she hit the ground, FIN appeared, and Eric knew that he was the reason.

"Eric Northman, your threat level is at six percent and accelerating. You must reduce that number immediately or my systems will be forced to engage you."

That sounded serious, but Eric couldn't force himself to care as much as he thought he should. His only concern was the woman that he had wounded.

"Is she alright?" Eric asked.

FIN didn't even look at the Queen as he replied. "System scans indicate that Her Majesty has sustained three broken ribs, a hairline fracture to the skull, several lacerations and a probable concussion."

Eric was looking at the limp form lying in a crumpled heap, and couldn't find his wariness of vampires, not with the blood pooling around her head. It was like the footage he hadn't been able to get out of his mind except, he had done this. It didn't matter that she was a vampire or that he should feel justified. He just felt like a coward who had beaten a woman. Suddenly he was desperate to explain he so much better than this.

"I didn't mean to…I was sleeping, and when I woke up she was just hovering over me." Out of nowhere, seriously, who, if not creepy vampires did that, he wondered.

"I…freaked out."

"The bleeding has clotted and the laceration is healing. I suggest you return to your suite before the rest of her injuries do the same."

Eric left because he knew that he should, but he looked back every step before taking the turn that would place her out of his sight. It was bizarre; his body felt as though he was heading in the wrong direction, as if by going further away he was doing her more harm. Of course that was ridiculous. She would wake up and most definitely want to kill him. As he shut the doors to his own suite, the loneliness clung to him. It was the first time that it had taken root since he arrived at this palace.

* * *

**Closing notes: **A lot of people probably need a few days to ponder over the Freyda involvement as well as Eric's human life up to date. I hope to hear all your thoughts, feeling and premonitions about it. Until next week!


	13. Chapter 13

**Opening notes: So I'm late. I know. I'm sorry but it's better late than never. I won't bore you with anymore preamble. Enjoy!**

* * *

OK, maybe that wasn't the best idea Sookie had ever had because…_Owww! _It hurt her head when she tried to comprehend just how she was in so much pain. For that matter, it even hurt to breathe. Having suffered several throughout her life, Sookie knew a concussion when she had one.

Knowing it was best not to move, she just couldn't remain still. She had to see him. _Eric._ The very thought had her leaping to her feet even as the room spun and she collapsed as stabbing pains shot to her ribs and through her head. Her stomach turned and she knew had there been anything in it, it would have come right back up.

"Refrain from movement, Your Grace. You have sustained injuries," FIN informed her.

"Tell me something I don't know."

"You look like hell."

Sookie laughed, and once she started she couldn't seem to stop. It only served to add to the pain of her injuries, making them hurt so fucking bad! Her emotions, after having been lost and buried for so long, uncontrollably roared to life. She laughed at the sarcastic comments of her Holo creation while she cried from the pain of her injuries. At some point FIN vanished. She supposed he had more important tasks to which he needed to attend, especially with her out of commission.

By the time her laughing-crying fit had ended, Sookie's injuries were already healed and her mind returned to Eric. Surrounding him was a disturbing malaise that left her buried under for several more hours. As much as she yearned, it seemed she could not stop contemplating in relation to Eric. How to avoid those thoughts regarding the only issue on her mind? It proved impossible at first but then slowly she was able to gather enough sense to at least try to find him. That would be better than sitting here pinning and wondering.

The Queen rose to her feet and turned to follow the path Eric had taken. She only made it two steps before she was forced to abandon her course. Everything felt off with her. Her legs were weak, and whether the cause was mental, physical, or both she couldn't say. She was tired. Her exhaustion was seemingly like that of a cloak clinging to her skin, much the same as the dried blood and debris.

"Forgive the intrusion, Your Grace. I know you are very busy." FIN said somewhat dryly. "Caspian has overridden the voicemail systems and is on video line one. Should I accept?"

Caspian…the thought filled her with so much love and pure happiness. Her joy permeated her fully and washed away her previous emotion like a furious, torrential flood.

"I love him so fucking much!" she said, happy tears streaming down her face.

FIN took that as an affirmative. Caspian's face appeared on the video screen. Before Sookie made the conscious decision she was there, her nose almost pressed against the screen. She wanted to hug him more than anything else in this world! She wanted to make up for the thousands of times when he had hugged her and she couldn't feel nor return his love. She wanted to initiate the show of affection with which he had greeted her for decades.

Sookie wanted to tell him how much she loved him and so she did. For over an hour she gushed, bringing up so many past interactions and reminiscing over all the things she had never been able to express to him during their decades long friendship. When she had finished getting it out her tears were dried, and her emotions were once again centered, a more logical thought entered her mind.

"How'd you do it, Cas?" she wondered aloud. There had never been any doubt that she was just a tad more gifted in the genius department, but this was Fae magic, it could only be, and she was desperate to understand…

"How did you bring him back?"

Caspian looked at her in confusion, but his excitement refused to be overshadowed. "Bring whom back from where? I'm still reeling that my present was able to cure you."

That was alarming and for a mere second, panic overwhelmed the Queen. What if this was one grand hallucination? Had she had lost her mind and was not at all lucid enough to have recognized the break?

"Sookie!" Cas called. "What's the matter?"

She couldn't answer as panic and fear threatened to suffocate her. Darkness was hovering just beyond the scope of her vision.

"FIN, initiate a full diagnostic," He ordered.

"Scans completed, higher than normal levels of activity in the Amygdala indicating fear. In combination with heart rate, the sudden, yet inexplicable respiratory inconsistency and her physiology, she is having a panic attack. Prognosis is optimistic. Although unpleasant, a panic attack is not fatal."

"She doesn't get panic attacks," Caspian replied.

"Diagnostics results beg to differ, sir."

For a few seconds Caspian vanished, and she was truly lost, calling out to him.

"I'm right here, my love," He said, reappearing on the screen. His voice was soothing and so familiar. "You're all right, just take deep breaths."

Sookie complied and to her relief, they helped.

"Why can't I get into the house?"

Sookie was still unable to answer, so he directed his question to FIN, "Lockdown is in effect, sir."

Sookie listened to Cas argue with the Holo. It wasn't until the panic faded entirely that she was able to join the conversation.

"FIN, play back video surveillance of the last arrival of Eric Northman," The Queen ordered. Sookie had known that Cas would look at her as if she was crazy and that was just what he did. At least it didn't illicit any raging emotions. She was able to watch him as he watched the footage. Caspian's expression was the proof Sookie needed if she and Cas harbored any doubts of her sanity. Happiness filled her in a dizzying dose. Other than a grinning like a fool, she didn't lose herself this time.

When FIN had announced the visitor Sookie believed it to be a system error, but then she saw Eric astride a motorcycle with his hair in the wind much as it always was when he was flying. The image had left her breathless though she felt as if she was suffocating, with her next breath came the tidal waves of emotions. Every single thing she hadn't been able to emote in over the past three decades came washing over her fully and completely.

They covered and overwhelmed to the point where for almost two full days she had been lost. The rage of his demise had been so powerful that she had clawed at reinforced steel and demolished walls fighting past enemies. When that ended, the grief that she had never allowed herself to go through had come and that had been most debilitating. She cried until her eyes bled and once healed, she only cried more. It was hell until she had heard his voice through her tangled web of pain.

Caspian played the image of Eric arriving at the gates over and over again. Her best friend seemed to be analyzing every inch of her lost love. After almost three minutes he turned to her and it was abundantly clear that he could not believe his eyes.

"This cannot be," He whispered. "Can it?"

She nodded her head, laughing; her joyfulness alone proof, but while she had been hovering over him she had noted some differences although they had been slight. "His hair is a quarter of an inch longer, his feet are a half size smaller, and he is human, but… He doesn't know me."

"How is this possible?" Cas asked.

That was the billion dollar question for which neither seemingly had an answer.

"What was your present to me exactly?" Sookie asked. Clearly it wasn't Eric. Now that she thought about it, Caspian wasn't old enough for that level of Fae magic. How then had Eric come to be here, who had arranged it, and why?

"A painting…" he said, making it sound like a question.

"Umm… Any particular reason why would you give me a random piece of art?"

Seriously, anyone who knew her would know better. Even before Sookie had lost part of her soul, she had never been creative nor was she ever as appreciative of the arts unless it was when Eric had painted. Before that she hadn't cared. Sookie couldn't make sense of why Van Gogh cut off a perfectly good ear, or why the Mona Lisa was such a mystery. In fact, her opinion was that the former was off his much-needed medication.

Cas had his mouth open, but closed it when no words escaped. Sookie watched her best friend struggle with something that should be simple, yet it was somehow eluding him. Confusion had taken over, and Caspian had never looked so distraught.

"I don't know. All I can recall is one morning a month before your birthday I woke thinking quite resolutely you needed a painting as a gift. It could only be from The Studio in Canada, and the portrait had to be done by their best artist whose name I also cannot remember."

Sookie tried to make her newly-emotive brain work logically. It wasn't easy, but she managed to stay on topic. Her initial thought on the matter was that history was repeating itself.

"Claudine?" The Queen said.

Caspian narrowed his eyes, and Sookie caught the most menacing look she had ever seen in him throughout all their years together. The nerd was about to have a meltdown. "The mental plane is my arena. My natural defenses would crush her. She knows that," He told her. "She also would never go through the trouble. There is little I wouldn't give her freely; her husband has kept me alive since before I was born."

They were silent and arrived at the same conclusion at precisely the same time.

"Fintan!"

Cas said it like an expletive. Sookie spat it like the curse it was. "Have you had contact with him?"

Sookie certainly hadn't any contact with Fintan. The very thought of her biological father brought feelings though they were old and dormant. They brewed yet never overwhelmed her. There were just too many other sensations waiting and begging to be expressed that paternal issues weren't high on the list of her priorities.

"Yes," Cas replied.

Sookie listened to the story of Cas reaching out to Fintan for help after she had lost half of herself. He hadn't been alone. Felipe had asked Cas for help. Her father had sent Cas to Niall for help as well. When there was nothing the Prince could do, Felipe had sent Cas in search of Fintan.

Sookie wept for her sole vampire parent. She knew him more than anyone, maybe more than Nim in some respects. Only Sookie was aware of the pride it had cost the King to beg the aid of a male he thought below him. He had done it for her.

Her emotions once again overtook her because there was no one Sookie loved as much as she loved her father. No one, not even Eric, had ever understood the flawed, calculating, and sentimental factions that combined all her differing aspects. Ever since Eric, she had been unable to see just how much pain she had caused Felipe with her emptiness. Sookie loved her father, and the only thing that kept her from telling him of all the ways was his voicemail.

As sensitive as she was at present, she wasn't able to recall any of the override codes. Her only alternative was to leave him a message that was so long that his message box ended it before she was done thanking him for being her dad. Caspian, though, was kind and patient enough to allow her to finish her expressive and open word vomiting before he continued.

"As I was saying, the last contact was twelve years ago. Fintan came to me out of the blue and asked me how you were. He didn't seem that interested. It was as if he was checking to see that you were still alive."

"These are continued attempts he makes to try to make me acknowledge him," She theorized.

This was something he had failed to do in his past attempts. Sookie wanted to feel nothing for him, but Fintan had given her something, what no one else ever could and so she was in his debt. She would pay whatever price he demanded, but that would be all.

"You need him though, now more than ever," Cas said. "From what you said, Eric doesn't know you. You have no idea how much he knows about his life from before or how that may affect him now. The only person who may be able to offer any insight is Fintan."

"Forget him; I don't want anything to do with Fintan," Sookie snapped, and those feelings regarding her biological father rose. They were mostly angry ones, but they weren't enough to blind her entirely and she had other options. Niall may not have been able to bring back half of her soul, however; now that it was here, surely the prince would be able to help her with this mystery.

"Niall is a Sky Prince—"

"Do you remember when I told you that you are a genius, like Fintan?"

Vaguely. It was so was long ago and Sookie had been dealing with so much, but she recalled the conversation. Cas had been petitioning on Fintan's behalf. He had told her:

_"__You two are alike in the brilliance department except his is with enchantments, although he gives off the mad scientist vibe."_

Was that all this was? Had Fintan played mad scientist to save Eric? If so, what were the drawbacks?

"Niall, at his pinnacle, could not contend with Fintan. That was one of the many reasons behind their fallout, at least that's what I've heard. This is proof! Reincarnation is like you taking the Chaos Theory and mapping it."

He let out a little bemused laugh as his inner fan girl began to show.

"I mean, can you even imagine!"

The Queen shook her head. "Wow," she said softly.

"Yeah," Cas said. "Reincarnation is not something many would even begin to mess with, never mind seemingly perfecting it in one shot."

Sookie felt a stab of some negative emotion. It was jealousy. The only time Cas ever looked the way he did was when she had cracked some code or unlocked some mystery. It was fortunate that the coveting emotion wasn't one of those she had constrained. Outside of a growl that Caspian ignored, there was no other proof.

"I'll find Fintan. In the meantime, you try to get to learn all you can about this manifestation of Eric. It will give us notes to compare."

"This _is_ Eric," Sookie insisted. "_I feel it_."

Caspian nodded. "He may look and feel like Eric, but he is not _your_ Eric."

"_He is_!" Sookie snarled. "_He will always be mine_. I'll just have to show him and I'll explain everything to him."

"Will you now?" He retorted in a rather bitchy tone.

"Yes." She affirmed. "I can make everything clear."

"That is just a bad idea in so many ways that I don't know where to begin."

Sookie growled, but said nothing; mainly because she didn't know how to argue with that. "Maybe if I tell him all about us; maybe it will all come back to him."

"So…? What? You're just going to say 'Hi, I'm Sookie. You don't remember me, but I am your hybrid vampire bride from your past life when you were also a vampire. We were madly in love, and then you died. Now through magic and reincarnation, you've returned, so let's live happily ever after.'

Well, not quite like that, the Queen thought. "When you say it that way, Cas, it sounds insane."

Cas shot her a dubious look. "Let's forget all that for a sec. Let's focus on the fact that he's been locked in that palace with you for days witnessing your erratic behavior brought on by your newly unburied emotions. The truth will be no doubt be recognized as proof that you are bat shit crazy."

"All right, all right. I see your point," She admitted. So, genius, what should I do?" she asked.

Already her emotions were overriding most of their plans. She was just so eager! There was nothing she wanted more than to tell Eric everything. She wanted to tell him all the truths of their past and to genuinely apologize for her pride that had lead to his final death. Sookie wanted everything returned that been stolen from her by his untimely loss. She wanted the love that his smile awakened in her. She wanted to hold him in her arms so fucking bad!

"Sookie!" Cas yelled. "Focus!"

It was only then that she realized her imaginings had run off with her. It took a few minutes, but she was soon ready to focus on him once again.

"Sorry," she told him. "It's so hard to think… It's as if every thought brings out new emotions and they're all so fucking powerful!" Even as she was saying it, she was fighting four tidal waves while they all battled for the right to devour her.

"Just…be cool," Cas advised. "Compose yourself and try to regulate your senses as well as your emotions. Above all else, _do not tell_ Eric about the past. If he doesn't remember you, as his wife, his mate, there may be a very good reason. I think it is unwise to scramble that until I am able to get in touch with Fintan."

Sookie tried her best to think logically. 'Her Eric' had never once raised a hand to her in anger from the day she met him. When he had, it hadn't been of his own free will. She had watched the surrender on his face while he did all he could to try to fight his Maker's commands. When this Eric had shoved her away earlier, it resembled nothing like that. Sookie had approached a different beast and expected it to act like a friend.

There wasn't a hint of recognition or a moment's hesitation. Eric hadn't known her and he attacked in order to defend himself. Meanwhile, the Eric she had known would have met the veil before hurting her, never mind not putting her halfway through a wall. If Eric didn't remember her, and he clearly didn't, Cas was right, there may very well be a logical explanation as well a good reason. Blabbing on about it without comprehending how he might handle it would be ill-advised. As the more rational parts of her understood this, the Queen's emotions became simpler to manage. She calmed herself as best as she could.

"See! You've got this." Cas told her. "Just be cool, be yourself."

"Thanks, Cas," The Queen said. "I love you."

"And I, you, my friend, always and ever more," He said with a sardonic smile. "Let it not go unsaid that in loving you there is never a dull moment."

She was laughing at his gibe while the call disconnected.


	14. Chapter 14

Sookie left the den with Caspian's words on her mind. She trusted him more than she trusted herself, and more than anything she wanted to believe him. She then showered because she was in desperate need of soap action. There was glass and debris in her hair as well as blood on her formerly-pristine pencil dress. Truth was she looked a hot mess, and she felt like one too.

As she stood naked in her closet, she tried to think of what was casual these days. This was the first time she was choosing her own clothes in almost three decades. While she tried to not allow that to trouble her it was a still a difficult decision, considering the man who was going to see her. Along with that difficulty remained the problem of knowing where anything was. She had to admit that having destroyed a considerable amount of the room on her rampage hadn't helped.

After her tenth choice joined the others on the bed, she had to confess that casual was not on her mind. No, she was dressing to impress and hadn't been paying enough attention to know what would impress a man, even her man.

Was Eric her Mate? By all rights he was. He just didn't know it. Yet. Her goal was to show him that truth without telling him the truth. In order to have any luck, she needed to present herself calmly and without the slightest erratic behavior. How hard was that? Not too extraordinary, at least in her hopes. While she resumed looking at her clothing choices, she couldn't make her heart stop hammering, her palms wouldn't stop sweating, and her stomach was tumbling with thousands of uncontrolled butterflies.

"Elevated stress patterns detected—"

"I know, FIN, I'm fine," Sookie said. "I'm trying to figure out what to wear. What do normal people wear these days?"

"What is the occasion?" He asked.

"A date, I guess," The thought had her grinning like a total fool.

"Your fall wardrobe arrived a week ago. Francine has catalogued your clothing for the next ninety days. There are many options."

"Can I see it?" She asked, happy to abandon her own devices.

Viewing the items in her closet via FIN would save time. It didn't take long for her to complete her search. She pulled a top from one outfit and pants from another, and it curiously reminded her of the time before her rule. The suggested hairstyle chosen to complement the top wasn't one the Queen had ever attempted. She had looked so appealing in the picture that she was desperate to recreate it.

Sookie had FIN pull up the instructions on how to do so. How hard could it be? It seemed very was the answer. In the end, Sookie had tangled her hair in several knots; she had thrown a brush through the television in her powder room, and fought with FIN as much as one could fight with an attitudinal Holo. His insult and sarcasm functions worked in excess.

"Not bad, right, FIN?" Sookie said after she had completed her last attempt.

"Comparative analysis indicates that her Majesty is being overly generous with her attempt at a 'Doubled twisted French braid'."

It was a testament that while the mind knew, it was the heart and body that interpreted the knowledge. Being a genius didn't make her good at everything. This was not her area of expertise.

"Ugh!" The Queen shouted, feeling frustration shoot through every fiber. "Fuck it!"

"My thoughts exactly, Your Grace," FIN agreed.

Sookie was laughing while she unwound her locks from her pathetic attempts at styling her hair. When the locks were loose, she simply ran a brush through them letting her hair fall behind her back. She kept it off her face with a tiara in the form of a head band. Makeup, she thought. She needed makeup! As she looked at her reflection, she realized that she didn't know where or how to apply it or even why. When she looked through her fashion catalogues created by her beauty team, she decided against it entirely. There was a high likelihood that she would blind herself. In truth, she really didn't have the patience.

"Here goes," Sookie said, placing a trembling hand on the doorknob.

So far, The Queen had been doing a passable job of keeping her emotions in check. It was beyond incredible that after so long without them, they had reappeared all of a sudden, so potent and so spontaneously. There wasn't a single thought or memory that Sookie felt that hadn't threatened to penetrate the damn she built to control this abrupt overflow of emotions.

"Just be cool and don't freak him out," She muttered. "This is Eric we're talking about. Eric, no big deal. No pressure. You can be cool."

Even without the proof she felt assuredly in her soul, Sookie _knew_ this was Eric. That was all she knew, and it didn't feel like nearly enough. Yes, this was Eric, but it wasn't. No, he wasn't himself, and it was her sole purpose for leaving her rooms. She needed to find out as much as she could while Cas was away attempting to do the same.

The Queen took a breath to steady herself and to lock away the worst of her tumultuous feelings. Then she opened the door. Sookie wasn't sure what she'd been expecting, but the hall was silent. There wasn't a single soul in her palace but Eric, and he was limiting himself to the guest suite he'd chosen.

It wasn't until then that Sookie realized she had no idea where she was going. Although this was her palace and an impressive one at that, she didn't know it. She was familiar with her suite, the ballroom, and the dining room, but the route to them wasn't automatic. She had followed Dorian or her father and neither of them were present. She called FIN and he led the way.

The entire way Sookie was lost in thought over what she would say to Eric. She could pretend to be roaming around and accidentally bump into him, score physical contact without being pushy. Maybe she could even cop a feel or two! The thoughts pulled her into a whirlwind of lust, and the rest of the trip to his suite was made in a desire-filled haze. Needless to say, by the time she reined it in, she still had no plan and she was already in front of his door. Damn!

Sookie stood outside the massive double doors of Eric's suite for a full thirty minutes. Over a dozen times her hands rose to knock, but her thoughts afforded no words. How would they cross the, 'You gave me a concussion but it's okay' bridge? She had no idea, and she didn't want to lie to him, especially because she would be lying concerning everything else. She couldn't, so what would she do?

"Hi, I'm Sookie," The Queen heard herself say. "I'm a Queen and this is my palace."

That was just so…pitiful. Heat immediately spread all over her face and she was embarrassed, even though there wasn't a single soul to witness it. Still, the Queen clapped her hands over her mouth to keep other unchecked thoughts from escaping.

Behind his door she thought she heard Eric react. There was a rustle of clothing that only made her mind wander into erotic places, and then a hesitation of the locks that, to her surprise, caused her feelings to hurt. He didn't trust her, not that he should. Still, it didn't diminish her pain and it certainly didn't make her want him any less.

"I've heard. How did you get out of your sector?" He asked.

"Good behavior," She answered.

She wasn't completely sure if that was an attempt at humor.

"I stabilized and FIN was able to deactivate the safety protocols."

"I'm sorry about what happened before, when I hit you. I didn't mean to hurt you. You startled me."

Sookie was smiling to herself because Eric had never been very good when it came to apologies. His tone always took on this overly formal and flat note. It was still very much true. That thrilled her more than she would have ever imagined.

"It was my fault," She admitted.

"Yes, it was," He agreed.

Still very much an asshole, Sookie noted with a chuckle. It almost turned into another laughing fit, but she was able to suppress it. "I was hoping you would eat with me," She said.

"Ahh...no."

It took Sookie a few moments to realize what she was feeling; crushing disappointment. "As you wish," she said. "Perhaps some other time."

"Still no, but thanks."

She immediately felt her face crumble and her bottom lip began to quiver. Crying was harder. Unlike laughter, there was still so much to cry over that she hadn't yet processed. She couldn't cry here because she had no idea how long it might take her to pull herself together again.

"Oh…okay then."

Sookie walked away and before she reached the end of the hall, she was sobbing. When she heard the door open, shame accompanied the hurt of rejection.

"I—"

She couldn't stand to hear the rest. She ran knowing he couldn't keep up, although she desperately hoped that he would. When she was sure she had gotten far enough away from Eric, Sookie found a seat and just curled up, crying. She knew in her head that this was a vast overreaction. She just couldn't seem to stop. The pain brought with it more fury and it drowned out the little clarity she had remaining.

The Queen felt furious and she could feel the rage simmering. Her hand was through a wall before she realized she'd even moved. The storm was rising and clouding her mind. With it came memories of all the things that should have elicited anger in her over the last near-three decades, but didn't. They were all there clamoring to surge out all at once, feeding the storm. It grew although it was nowhere near as forceful or as sudden as the first time; nevertheless, she could feel it.

"Your Grace, your threat level is at four percent," FIN said.

She snarled viciously. He sealed her in the parlor where she had wandered. "Threat levels have risen to seven percent. At eleven percent my systems will engage you."

"He told me, 'no'!" Sookie heard herself growl.

"What was the request? Perhaps I could be of service. I would prefer not to gas you."

Sookie paced like a caged tigress. "I asked him to eat with me and he refused me as if I was nothing!"

"My system has detected an anomaly. Subject: Species of Eric Northman. Manual processing is required."

Talking to FIN helped Sookie to calm herself. She had mapped his pulsotronic "brain" after her own. It was as if she was talking to herself. Eric was human. That was important because he would get hurt if she were to again lose her temper in his presence or so near to his proximity. Immediately she calmed. The drop was so severe that it left her body in the aggressive posture for a beat even after her calmness took hold.

Emotions had been something that she had been learning to master ever since the first appearance of her fangs. Now they had never mattered more. These emotions that were currently ruling her could cost her. If she couldn't learn to suppress or get ahold of them, she could likely be the one to destroy the only thing she had ever wanted more than anything else in this world. She could not allow that… She knew she could not bear it twice in one lifetime.

"Think, don't feel," The Queen said aloud. "Think, don't feel."

For over an hour Sookie chanted the mantra over and over. In that time emotions slipped through because she was, of course, thinking of Eric, yet when they threatened to overflow her, she fought them. That icy veneer, the unfeeling robot, couldn't be completely discarded. She needed it, but it splintered to pieces the instant she had seen Eric.

Sookie took the shards of the robot that were left and used them to safeguard against the newly found feelings that were upsetting her at every turn. She fortified them. This was by no means a way to bury or refuse them. No, she would rather die than feel less alive. She would trade her soul if it meant never returning to that thing she had been for so long; a living, breathing creature who held nothing and no one dear to her heart.

Sookie acknowledged that all the people who loved her were stronger than she could ever be. Not for a single second could the Queen imagine telling her father she loved him and getting a polite response. Felipe had endured that for almost three decades. The thought alone made her eyes sting and her heart ache. The closest she had ever been to that was when he had disowned her, and, even then, she knew he loved her.

The cloak Sookie was forging around her emotions was about controlling the flow and feeling a little bit at a time. It was enough that she already had to remodel her private suite. She would very much prefer not to do the same with the entire palace.

FIN was gone by the time Sookie had confidence in her control. The Holo returned when she called and removed the seal on the sector into where she had wandered. All she had to do was answer a series of common sense questions to test her emotional state, and then a simple puzzle to account for her cognitive functions. This was the only thing that had kept her trapped in her suite for days.

It was a testament to just how far out of control The Queen had been; she hadn't even heard the question or noticed FIN. She had been a slave to her emotions. Then Eric had talked to her…everything had felt so right. She had been drifting, and his voice, annoyed though it was, had been her anchor. Of course he had thrown her into a wall not too long after…her emotions rose, but she stifled them. That wasn't the point. Caspian was looking for Fintan and information. She needed to engage Eric and acquire information from him.

When the gates lifted, Sookie didn't go running out though she wanted to desperately. Something much more crucial occurred to her.

"Systems report," She said.

"All functions are operating at sixty-two percent efficiency," He said.

She snorted a laugh though this was far from amusing. "That's a 'D,' you know that right?"

"That does not say much for my creator," He replied.

Sookie had nothing to say to that. FIN had been operating at over a hundred times his normal spectrum ever since the lockdown of the Palace. Keeping Eric safe was taking up power and time. Many other facets of her businesses were suffering as well. Nothing was crucial, but still. Her personal assistant wasn't the only who called though she left messages informing the Queen that her house was now an impenetrable fortress; you know, in case Sookie hadn't noticed.

Bill Compton, who had also left messages, was her Royal Investigator for the Queen's states and her father's and so had Prefect Josephina of Oklahoma. Sookie had missed a meeting and a hearing. Bishop and Kale had also called. That was it for her vampires. There were also many calls from her human business associates that needed attention. The first thing she did was return the many calls from Dorian. She added Kale, Bill, and Bishop to the call. It was to save time, but they all needed to know the first part of her orders. It looked like she was going to be locked down for the next few days.


	15. Chapter 15

"I am addressing a system anomaly," Sookie told all her top vampires.

That wasn't exactly a lie. The fact that Eric had been dead truly, but still had security clearance was a pretty big security issue. The glitch occurred because he was dead when his clearance had been granted, and when he had finally died the status hadn't been updated. It was now an anomaly that she had to address and she would do so after her meeting.

"Until it is resolved, I will only be available by phone. Other than that, it will be business as usual except for Bishop and Dorian."

Sookie muted the call so she was only addressing Dorian and Bishop as she gave them their orders. It was simple really; prep for the games was not to be compromised in any way. Bishop would confer with Dorian, and whatever she was unsure about, she would reach out to the Queen. Dorian would also sit in her stead at court. That would be a first, but if it troubled her, the assistant did not show it.

"Am I clear?" Sookie asked.

"Yes, Your Grace," Bishop said.

"Forgive me, Majesty, but what am I to do with your guards? Per protocol, they are now at my house."

By the hesitation and fear, it was clear that Dorian specifically meant Galleon. That was to be expected, but it had slipped her mind. The only ones that could handle the Berserker were the Queen and her father. He didn't heel well for either of them, but they didn't fear him so he had nothing to feed on. Sookie added Galleon to the call.

"You and Otto are to take two more and return home. Make it look as if I am there and that I am preoccupied attending duties there while my father is at his summit."

Otto nodded his head deeply. Galleon looked like he was waiting for the first available chance to punch and bite someone. Sookie knew she had two, three days max before he did something that he shouldn't. Most likely he would clash with one of Sai's insane vampires and they would string him up by his toes again.

"Galleon, am I clear?"

Sookie unleashed the full force of her eyes, but they didn't gain the desired effect. Something internal and crucial had returned. Even if it had still been lost, Galleon was never one for intimidation. The Queen had to punish him on occasion, and it wasn't until right then that she knew that he liked it. Kindness that wasn't bought and loyalty that wasn't bartered made him behave worse than his usual self. It forced her to rethink her orders.

"Go wherever you want then, Galleon, just stay out of sight."

He nodded.

The Queen left that call and returned to Bill and Kale. Other than special cases that were beyond the sheriffs of her father and the scope of her generals, Bill was a figurehead. All of her citizens knew that when they saw his face, her judgment would soon follow and it would be swift and harsh.

Sookie needed Bill to be all over her map, especially in Louisiana. If Bishop was going to be busy with the games and his routine duties, Bill's presence would control the lack of her presence. Kale had the most difficult role. He had to smile and appear to be unconcerned about any and everything. There was no one more suited.

With all of her business completed, Sookie ran another system report on FIN. It was up to seventy percent efficiency. "Not bad, but let's see that to do list," She said.

Sookie attended to everything that she could until FIN was only performing his most basic functions. He was doing so with a ninety-five percent level of accuracy and a hundred percent efficiency. If she wasn't on lockdown and deemed hazardous, FIN would be at a hundred percent across the board.

Then the reason behind her lockdown came to mind. Eric. The control the Queen had placed over herself shook with the mere thought of his name. Where was he? What was he doing, what did he think of her? Why didn't he think of her like he used to; he was clearly the same, well, at least his attitude was.

Everything was the same from head to toe, except his past. This wasn't her Viking vampire. He wasn't a Viking and he certainly wasn't a vampire. He was a human who was younger, decades younger than she. The emotions came before the conscious thoughts; anxiety, insecurity were the most unfamiliar, but there were other things like want, need, desire, and lust. All of those were wrapped up in a web of anticipation.

The vampire whom Sookie had known, the one to whom she was mated, was not this manifestation. Accepting that meant Sookie didn't know what to do or what to accept when she saw him. She had no idea. The first time she kissed a boy she was sixteen and he had been a jerk. Eric was the only man she had ever known. There had been no courtship. She had been his mate, period. There was no doubt or insecurity because the pull had been so strong.

Now, Sookie had to relearn the man. What would she see? Certainly, it wouldn't be the same or would it? What would she do if she didn't know how to handle what she saw? She didn't know, but not even that uncertainty took away from her excitement. She would be pursuing him, though thus far, that didn't seem to being working out very well.

As far as first impressions went, Sookie had bombed hers. Shit, no wonder he didn't want to eat with her. From all he had witnessed of her behavior he probably assumed she wanted to eat him.

"No big deal, at least now you know why he might have said no," Sookie told herself. She cheered up immediately. "You cannot possibly fuck this up any more than you already have." Another upside.

Sookie continued to prep herself for Round Two, and it was only when she was sure she was in control of her emotions did she venture out of the parlor.

Sookie was in the entertainment center of the house. If not for her party a few weeks ago, she wouldn't have recognized it. Other than the party she had never been in this section of the palace. Navigation was made worse by the fact that she hadn't been paying attention when she had been walking. Keeping her emotions in check was taking all her focus.

"FIN," Sookie called.

"Update in progress, Fully Integrated Systems is operating with limited services," The message was on the wall via the Holo strips. "If this is an emergency, initiate emergency protocol Delta. All other functions will be fully operational in Twenty-five hours, fifty-three minutes and forty seconds."

"Damn," Sookie had forgotten

FIN was off line, Cas was off searching for her deadbeat biological father, and her adoptive dad was at his Territory Summit. Oliver was with his mate. Zee could be anywhere. Sookie was completely on her own. That was bad because she had just walked into a linen closet thinking it would lead somewhere. Seriously, not the proudest moment in her life.

"I'm going to go out on a limb and say you're lost."

Sookie would know that voice anywhere, and it sent so many sensations singing through her body that she was nearly overwhelmed, but then she found her cloak. It may have taken longer than she would have liked but, by the time she was facing the man of her dreams The Queen was in control.

"This is not my primary residence," Sookie explained. "I am not familiar."

"Me either," he replied.

The length of the hall separated them and Sookie wanted nothing more to close that gap, but she couldn't risk it. Her emotions were still there threatening to consume her. She said nothing, and for a few awkward minutes he stared at her while she stared at him. What did he see? It couldn't be good. He looked like one might as they were facing a time bomb.

"I'd really like to not be murdered by a vampire today," he said. "Or any other day for that matter."

The Queen's emotions were in check if just barely, but all her carefully laid conversation topics had flown right out of her head. She was breathless, speechless, and the words just spilled unchecked.

"Me either."

_'__Christ! Really Sookie? That's__all you could come up with? For a genius that was pretty fucking lame,__' __she scolded herself._

Eric arched a perfect brow at her, and it said so many things, bullshit mainly. "That's odd because one of us went on a rampage," He retorted.

Damn, so he couldn't even ease into that one, could he? Sookie thought. Of the many probable conversation topics that she had prepped for, that had been the most difficult. She had planned on addressing it and giving a careful explanation. With him laying it out with no preamble, it threw her. Then again, it was nothing more than she should expect from Eric. He never minced words, not with her, not ever.

_'__Say__something,__'_ The Queen's brain screamed at her. Her circuits were fried it seemed because she was still staring at him with no thoughts in mind, other than how to get closer to that perfection. She gave herself a mental slap before replying.

"Yes. That was regrettable. I apologize for any unrest and inconvenience it may have caused. I was working through some personal…stuff."

"Hmm," was all he replied.

What did that mean? She waited for him to elaborate. He didn't. He hadn't come closer either. He just looked at her from head to toe as if sizing her up. No one in this world would ever know all the things his attention alone awakened in her. It didn't even matter to her if he was looking at her as a threat or as desirable. It was tantalizing, an almost physical caress on her skin that she always got knowing his eyes were on her.

"I can get you where you want to go if you keep a handle on your personal stuff," He offered.

Those words sounded strained to the Queen's ears, but she didn't know why. Maybe he was still recalling her previous behavior.

"You know the way?"

Eric nodded. "I have a map."

"How? FIN is offline; navigation is unavailable at this time."

He rolled his eyes in a very arrogant manner as he ran an errant hand through his hair. Suddenly the Queen felt her mouth go dry. Her body heated and it was all she could do not to drool. Did he not know what he was doing? Didn't he have any idea how devastatingly handsome he was? Obviously not. Either way, Sookie followed the movement hungrily.

Eric was wearing a tank top that was the right amount of tight and jeans that hung low on his waist. They were loaners, but damn! The top displayed his muscles in a manner that had her needing to see more. His jeans showcased the V of perfectly sculpted abs. He wasn't a vampire, or Were, or a Hybrid. What did he do to stay in shape?

"There is something to be said for old fashioned."

The Queen watched as Eric retrieved a folded pieced of paper from his back pocket. He had drawn his own map.

"I can get back to your suite, mine, the main atrium, the kitchen, and the library from here."

Sookie was both impressed and shamed. Why didn't she think of that? She might be able to track her path with her sense of smell. It had never been a strong point, and in her current state of mind she couldn't drum up the focus, but still. A hand-drawn map would have kept her from walking into a linen closet.

"So, where are you headed?" he asked.

"Dining room, dinner should be served shortly."

He snorted a laugh. "By who?"

"Right, yes, sorry. Force of habit, the main kitchen then."

What the Queen would do once she got there, she had no idea. The entire way Sookie kept stealing glances at Eric. He moved with a certainty that she couldn't even begin to imitate at the moment. Where had he found such confidence? This wasn't his castle and he understood that he was the weaker of the two, but he walked as if he owned the fucking place! She kept up with his long strides, walking briskly to do so. All the while she kept stealing glances at him while he seemed completely immersed in his hand-drawn map or maybe he was trying to ignore her.

Sookie walked close enough to sneak a peek at the map and was impressed with his detailing. Being that close also offered her a hint of fragrance. He did not smell the same. When he had been vampire, his scent had been just that. Did he taste and smell good, oh yes! Did she relish the taste of him on her tongue, of course she did!

This new, exquisite fragrance was nothing like that. The flavor of human Eric as the Queen breathed him in fully saturated her senses deeply. It made her teeth ache and her stomach cramp as if she was beyond starvation. He made her horny and hungry. For one dangerous moment, the combination made her head spin. What would it be like to be buried under him? What would it be like if he invaded all her senses and her space as he had so many other times before?

"Did you just sniff me?" He asked, and stopped short.

"Huh?"

"If you can 'huh,' you can hear," He fired back.

This was definitely Eric because he wasn't letting her get away with shit. "Forgive me, I meant no disrespect."

"I'm not feeling disrespected just creeped out."

In Sookie's opinion, that was worse. She just couldn't afford any more strikes.

"Your scent is new. If I fully familiarize myself with it, it will no longer trouble me."

"My scent is troubling to you?" He asked.

"Not particularly. I simply do not fraternize with many humans. I am also never alone for extended periods, hence why your refusal for socialization was upsetting."

Eric nodded with another, "Hmm," but otherwise said nothing.

However, Sookie was now certain she was setting off his bullshit meter in full.


	16. Chapter 16

Awkward and uncomfortable was what Sookie felt. Eric had navigated the route and there hadn't been a single wrong turn. While he gathered things to eat, she hung back and watched him while trying to be inconspicuous about it. Truth was she had no idea where anything was in this vast kitchen. She didn't even know where the blood was refrigerated. It wasn't in the fridge Eric was raiding. When she tried to focus her sense of smell all she could detect was Eric and it had shaken the hold she had on her emotions.

It was beyond strange to watch Eric eat. Sookie catalogued his many selections and tried to adhere it to the male she had known. The results were inconclusive. Eric's plate was more veggies than anything else. For the most part there wasn't much by the way of meat. It spoke of a definite Fae influence. Was he raised by a faery, by Fintan? How odd would that be for them? That Sookie's biological father had raised her mate and not her.

"Should I be concerned that you're staring at me?" Eric asked her out of nowhere.

She really thought she had been covert, not so much.

"No, I am attempting to record the process in order to recreate it," He hadn't offered to make her a sandwich. He hadn't said a thing to her.

"Why? You're a vampire."

Something about the way he said that made her think it was something she didn't want to be. For that matter didn't he know who she was? Not personally, but he should at least have the same knowledge that the rest of the world had about her. Sookie had been pictured eating and out in the sun. He should know that much.

"Not fully, I am a hybrid," Sookie explained. "The Hybrid vampire Queen of Three."

He looked at her blankly. It was better than the cautious glances he had been shooting her. That was good, but how was it that he had never heard about her? By his expression he clearly hadn't.

"I am the world's wealthiest woman. I am the youngest vampire Royal, ever. I am also a two time Nobel Prize winner. I invented 'Green Paint.' I appeared on—"

"I am going to do you the service of interrupting you," Eric said with a shake of his head. "I honestly don't think you know how incredibly..."

"Douchey!" Sookie concluded, clapping her hands over her mouth.

Oh man, Sookie had sounded like a self-absorbed douche. where were her filters? They were all centered on regulating her emotions and not spilling the beans. She needed something to keep her from saying what came to her mind and at the moment she had nothing. The Queen was busy chastising herself when she heard Eric laugh. She looked up and froze. How? How could one man be so devastating to her mind, body and soul? He was though. She suddenly found herself smiling because he was. She just couldn't help herself.

"Not the word I would have used, but appropriate."

"Forgive me, I've just never met anyone in recent history that didn't know my face or my name."

Maybe Eric really had been raised by Fintan. That was why he didn't know anything about her, and if so, why? She didn't know.

"I understand you are Canadian," Sookie began.

Already he was rolling his eyes. "I don't live under a rock if that's what you're getting at. I know of vampires but I just don't sympathize with them."

This was as bad as it could be. Crushing disappointment and heart felt pain rose and threatened to take over. It took everything she had, but Sookie shoved it away.

"You hate us," She said as calmly as she could manage.

"I don't hate anyone."

"Afraid then?" Sookie asked. "A bad experience, perhaps?"

The thought of someone…she couldn't even let the thoughts fully form. Already she had dented the underside of the island counter.

_"__Think, don't feel." _She repeated. If she didn't, she would make him want to leave, and that was the last thing she wanted. Her control came easily and when she looked up, Eric didn't seem to have noticed her slip.

"Barring this one, no." He told her.

"Religious reasons then?"

He shook his head, but there was a frown forming on his face that told her she was pushing him though she didn't relent. If she didn't find the cause then she might have to accept that it was a drawback of the reincarnation. If it was, how deep did it go? One thing was sure; Sookie had a long way to go and much to learn about him.

"Then I do not understand your aversion to an entire species with which you have never had any sort of contact."

"I know, it's so bizarre that I'm not enamored with a species that needs to drink my blood to survive, and by design is endowed with all they need to take it by force and or kill me. How unbelievable is it that I not clamoring to be in their company. That's so weird."

Smartass. When he put it like that, it made perfect sense. Sookie knew she couldn't admit that to him. From their life together, as his wife she knew that if she gave Eric ammo he would use it. She couldn't afford it so she said nothing. When their eyes met again, he looked less irritated.

"That being said, you aren't exactly what I thought a Queen of the Undead would be."

Sookie just couldn't resist. "What were you expecting?"

He did that thing where he tilted his head to the side, making himself look like a curious bird.

"That you'd be taller?"

Sookie laughed, and when he smiled, she could barely catch her breath. "I definitely didn't expect that you would be kinda awkward."

Oh. Sookie had been expecting a compliment, but that wasn't an insult considering all that he had witnessed of her behavior. It was understandable. In any case, awkward was better than crazy or creepy.

"I am out of sorts at the moment," She explained.

Eric nodded easily. "So you said."

Just like that the laughter they'd shared was over, and she immediately grieved the loss as he returned to building the most mouthwatering sandwich ever.

Having no other conversation starters, Sookie said nothing. She also needed to feed. She was in desperate need of blood. With all the injuries and the healing of said injuries, she would soon begin to degrade physically. She would be slower, weaker, and further injury wouldn't heal as quickly.

Sadly that would have to come later. Instead The Queen copied what Eric was doing. She made several sandwiches of her own. When he reached for a glass of water, she grabbed the pitcher of orange juice from the fridge. He sat down to eat and she did the same.

With her first bite, the Queen moaned. Her food tasted amazingly good. By all rights, the meal she had prepared for herself wasn't in the league of all the different restaurants that she and Caspian visited on their dinner dates. She wasn't a chef. This wasn't a five-star restaurant, but the flavor blew her taste buds.

Sookie inhaled her first sandwich. There were three more, and she had the large fruit bowl and potato chips to look forward to after that. It wasn't until Sookie was gobbling down the last chip did she realize that Eric was watching her. His expression was comical. She had been drinking directly from the pitcher of orange juice. Wow, had she really thought she couldn't make a worse impression? She must have taken that as a challenge because she was doing a fine job of making a shitty second impression.

"Should I be worried that you're staring?" she asked, dabbing at her mouth.

He shook his head. "I don't think I've ever seen a woman or man eat that much food in one go," He commented.

"It's been a while since I last ate," She admitted, pushing the plate away.

Blood should be what was on her mind, but she couldn't make herself leave the island counter where she was seated with Eric. She took it as a good sign that he was still there even though he had finished eating. She wanted to keep him there with her.

"What about blood?" He asked. "Do you drink blood?"

He couldn't quite manage to keep the distaste off his face, but she knew he tried. He was also back to eyeing her warily as if he would be dessert. Unable to help herself, Sookie chuckled. How fucked up was this? How ironic was it that he was averse to vampires, when he was one of the most powerful ones that she had ever met? Honestly, it would all be comical if it wasn't happening to her.

"On my honor as a Princess and my word as Queen, I swear to you, Eric Northman, I will not harm you."

"Lady, I don't know you from Eve. Having never met a Princess or a Queen, I have no idea what their word is worth."

Her reply was instantaneous and a bit more intense than the situation warranted. "It means that I would die before I harmed you or let harm befall you."

Sookie reached for a stray chip, taking her time to fish the remaining crumbs with it. "I was taught that forever is a long time while I will need currency through every day of it. My word and honor will carry the most weight of all. Once broken, they cannot be repaired even if I live forever."

She shrugged as she brought the chip and surrounding crumbs to her mouth. "So you're safe."

"So how old are you exactly?" He wondered.

"I beg your pardon!" Sookie sputtered. "Since when did it become acceptable to ask a lady her age?"

Unrepentant and unabashed was the expression on his face as he replied, "Since vampires."

He was wearing that smile that said, _'I know I'm doing something I shouldn't, but I'm having too much fun to care. Plus I know I'll get away with it.' _Sookie knew it well. Horrified as she was, she wasn't immune to it, not even after so long without it. Still though, not cool.

"Judging by the décor of your palace, I would guess four hundred years, give or take a few wars depending on your part of Europe."

"I am not going to dignify that with a response," She said with all the poise she could muster.

It wasn't just that Eric thought she was old. Sookie was feeling suddenly self-conscious about her age. She had just turned fifty-five. If he was fully human, then Eric couldn't be more than twenty-five. The difference was twenty nine years, but still. She'd had so many old man jokes when he had been the one that was a thousand-years-old. She was the old, cradle-robbing vampire now.

"Why not? You look good for a woman your age."

"Ugh!" she cried indignantly. "Now you're just being a dick!"

Eric laughed, no doubt reveling in riling her. Sookie was not amused. "I will have you know that I did not have much say in this Palace nor its décor. I am too inclined to sciences to have an eye for the arts."

"So why hire me?"

Shit, she shouldn't have said that, Sookie thought. "I heard that you were the best in the business."

The words were a stab in the dark. He was an artist, which was no surprise to her, but she didn't know to what capacity. For all Sookie knew he drew comic books. She didn't think so; instinct told her that the hobby that Eric could never devote himself to in his past life was now his trade in this one.

"So you have a piece that requires restoration?" He asked.

No. "Yes," Sookie lied, and she hoped like hell he couldn't see it on her face or hear it in her voice as he was always able to do before. "I would also like something commissioned for my father."

"You have a father and a vampire Maker?"

Sookie told him. This wasn't the first time she was telling him this tale, but with her emotions as new as they were, she fully understood things she hadn't before, things that she had taken for granted. Felipe had taken great risks in keeping her as close as he had when she was a little girl. There had been no guaranteed payoff. He had done it because her abilities had piqued his interest, but her smile had stolen his heart.

Even through these past few years when Sookie hadn't been to reciprocate, Felipe hadn't stopped loving her. He hadn't once looked at her differently. She would never stop being his baby. It had taken her over fifty years to see that nothing she could do would cost her his love, but she knew it now. She believed it with every fiber of her being.

"So what did you have in mind for him?" Eric asked.

Sookie had no clue. She looked at Eric, and knew the look on his face so well that even if her mind was lost, her body would recognize it still. He was thinking, calculating, and she would give anything to know what was on his mind.

_'__Stupid!'_ she chastised herself. _'Telepath and he is human."_

The Queen ventured into Eric's mind with an almost giddy sense of excitement only to get shut down. His mental signature was beyond unique. It wasn't Fae. It wasn't vampire. It sure as shit wasn't human! It was as if she had come upon an electric fence mentally. Thoughts were there, just beyond the line, but they were distorted to the point of uselessness. She knew that if she pushed, she would get hurt badly and she certainly wasn't willing to do so because it could hurt him. She tried to familiarize herself with this unique mental firewall, but it adapted and changed with her every second she spent learning it. What the hell? Was this the norm for reincarnated people? Or was it Fintan, or a combination of the two?

"I don't know," The Queen admitted and that statement applied in more ways than one. "I am open to your suggestions."

Eric talked, not to her, but he answered her question. He had many ideas, but it was clear none of them struck him. He kept changing and modifying his vision. For Sookie, the sun rose when Eric smiled and fell when he went to ground, yet, the human ticks that hadn't been there when they were married now showed, making him new and different, but no less beautiful. He tucked his mane of hair behind his ear. He was thinking out loud, excited, expressive with his hands, his face was lit, and his cheeks flushed with excitement. He had never been lovelier. How was that even possible, Sookie asked herself?

"Is there anyone else you might want to add in the portrait?"

Sookie moved her head in a half nod, half shake motion. "I have brothers but they are full vampires."

"He doesn't care about them?"

"Yes," The Queen corrected. "He does. He loves us all greatly but I'm…"

"The perfect one?" Eric supplied, and for some reason he didn't look that excited about the subject anymore, why? Did he think she was a spoiled brat? She didn't know and it forced her to tell him a different kind of truth.

"I'm the one he raised so I am most like him," She replied. "I'm his baby."

Eric nodded and added another, "Hmm," that was really starting to grate on her. The simple noise had dead-ended a conversation that was showing her who he was. Now she wasn't sure what to say.

"There is a fridge in the back of the pantry," Eric said, getting to his feet. "I didn't look, but my guess is it has blood."

He dropped his plate in the sink and left.

Sookie watched him go, wondering what it was that had changed him so much. She didn't know and with her need for blood so great, she wasn't quite thinking as clearly as she wanted. She let him go, knowing she would thrill in the hunt of finding him after. The thought alone had her pulse racing and her body yearning.


	17. Chapter 17

Eric had been right. The fridge in the pantry held blood of all varieties. There was donated human blood, and it was out of habit that she grabbed it. When she had sated her need for blood she would take an hour to plan a strategy. Trying to have a give and take conversation with him wasn't entirely foolproof.

For starters, Eric was adverse to vampires, not to her, but it would influence the way he interacted with her. It was proven by his random shutdown prior to his departure. What was more important, she needed to get him to stop seeing her as only a vampire and just as a woman. There would never be a time when she would be free to show him that like now.

They were on lockdown. There was no one else here. She could really be herself. After so long a time, she didn't know what or who that was, but she knew that it couldn't be as bad as this nervous wreck that he had labeled awkward. That was the plan, she decided. Sookie was feeling great about Round Four with Eric as she gulped her first bag of blood.

"Yuck! Eww…" she cried with a grimace.

She ran back into the kitchen to spit the contents of her mouth into the sink. The taste was too strong. It always had been, but how was it that she had been stomaching it for the last quarter century without as much as a blink? The answer was obvious she realized. She never tasted it, not really. The flavor of pure human blood was tart like a lemon, except instead of a concentrated citrus burst she was overwhelmed with a syrupy aftertaste.

"I thought you said you drank blood?"

'Oh please God, no!' Sookie thought. Round Four was supposed to be hers! If Eric was seeing her like this, it was already over. Sookie rinsed out her mouth and fought the urge to scrub her tongue with a paper towel afterward.

"I thought I was alone," She said. "What are you doing back?"

He waved his map at her. "I figured you could use this."

"It's fine," She snapped.

She was irritated, not at him, but at this whole situation. The temptation to tell him everything rose and she fought that as well as all of her emotions.

"Suit yourself," He replied with a careless shrug. He was going to leave again and she didn't want that.

"Wait!" she called after him.

Eric stopped, but took longer than needed to turn around. The expression on his face was one that she had never had to suffer from him, not even in the beginning stages of their mating when his mood was erratic. Eric was looking at her as if he wanted nothing more than to be free of her company. Was it because he thought her dangerous or because she had been short? She didn't know.

"I understand that I am the last person you would choose to be trapped in a castle with," Sookie began.

"You don't know the half."

That didn't exactly warrant a response, but it seemed like not being a vampire hadn't cured Eric of being a smart-mouthed asshole.

"It will be over soon. My father should be able to lift lock down in three days at the latest."

"What about your brothers?" He asked.

Sookie didn't give herself a chance to register the hurt his eagerness to break away from her caused.

"The two eldest are with him on business. The middle child is away with his wife-to-be. I have no idea where Zee is," She concluded with a derisive snort. At last check he had departed from the island, presumably with no plans on getting close to Ollie or her for that matter.

Next to Eric, Zee was the one person that Sookie couldn't wait to see. He had been her favorite person since she was a toddler. He was the one person that she had spent the least time with. It was difficult, but it wasn't until right then that she could fathom how hard it must have been for him.

"It is regrettable that we are forced together, but I think if we socialized time would pass easier for the both of us."

"No offense, but that sounds just awful, at least for me."

"I'm actually quite fun," She countered. "When I'm not going through…personal stuff."

He arched a brow up so dubious and so high that it was dangerously close to meeting his hair line.

"I am," She insisted.

"Righttt…"

"There is only one way to find out," She challenged, folding her arms across her chest.

As Sookie posed the question, her life with him as the bold, sometimes too bold sheriff came to her. Eric had always done what he wanted and he never apologized for it. By the time Sookie met him, he liked to flirt with danger just a bit. That was part of what made him so great in his past life. He walked the line and never fell. It was true this Eric had an aversion to her being a vampire, but did it equal fear? She didn't know. She tempted him.

"I bet you, your little map can't beat my sense of smell," She said.

He rolled his eyes, not the least bit impressed. "My map didn't lead me into a closet."

She smiled and he did too, albeit a bit begrudgingly.

"Best two out three, and if I win, you hang out with me."

"What do I get when I have to fish you out a pantry?"

Sookie laughed because she couldn't help it. Walking into a closet certainly wasn't her proudest moment and it was clear that he wasn't going to let her forget it.

"Whatever you want."

"Anything?" he qualified.

She nodded, "So long as it does not cause harm unto me or mine, yes."

"I should feel bad that you just made a poor deal, but…I don't," He replied.

He pulled his hair into a ponytail at the base of his skull, and she watched his muscles flex and his shirt rise. All thoughts of the bargain was forgotten. She wanted to play with him. She wanted to get closer to those perfectly sculpted abs and light dusting of hair that made his treasure trail….

The Queen shook her head to dislodge all the erotic and lascivious thoughts the image caused.

"I don't make bad deals," She replied calmly. Her voice was cordial and formal, and it was the best she could hope for. Inside it felt as if lightening was nipping at her heels.

They set their terms. It was a relay. Eric chose his location, Sookie chose hers, and they agreed to meet back in the kitchen. First one to make the circuit from the kitchen to the library, then to the indoor pool and back here would win. The thought was making the Queen giddy with excitement. Testing herself against Eric always made her feel like this. Although this was the first time that she thought she knew for sure that she would beat him hands down. She would make it sporting.

"I will move at human speeds."

"Don't insult me; you can turn into a bat for all the difference it will make," He informed her with a very cheeky grin.

She tried not to smile, after all she needed to show him her game face, but she couldn't help herself.

"So you don't want a head start then?" She teased. "It will keep things sporting."

Eric rolled his eyes long and hard to insure she caught every nuance of it. "Not on your undead life. Ladies first and always." He said, reclining against the doorjamb of the kitchen.

Sookie hesitated because Eric had turned the tables, but she didn't know how. What did he know that she didn't? Why wouldn't he take a sporting chance? Was it pride? It very well could be. She had no idea.

"Maybe you want to hang out with me and just don't want to admit it," Sookie said with a smile. Then she ran out of the kitchen at top speed. Speed was her niche; it always has been, it was only then that she realized that in an enclosed space it was no asset. The quick turns, the walls, the statues, and the fixtures all served to cripple her.

She didn't let that stop her as she ran throughout the house. It had been so long since she let powers loose. She ran thrilling in the power she could feel thrumming in her limbs. She hadn't moved at even half this speed in decades. It wasn't until she passed the main atrium for the fifth time did she realize that she had lost sight of her objective. She was having a race.

"Focus," she told herself coming to a halt mid-step.

Sookie looked around and found that she had no idea where she was. It was a large parlor in what had to be the opposite part of the house from where she had started. She drew in a breath in order to catch scents but it was too familiar. It smelled like a combination of all of her human staff. None of the scents stuck out. She desperately needed something that did.

Sookie picked her way through the scents and when something like leather and dust cropped up; she isolated it as to better track it. It wasn't easy, especially because Eric had been this way. The arrogant bastard left her a book on architecture at the double doors of the room. She couldn't and she knew she wouldn't, but Sookie really wished she could bite him, the arrogant ass.

No big deal. There was a reason Eric had chosen the library, he knew it. It was the same reason Sookie had chosen the pool. Eric couldn't have been to that part of the house. It was too far out. It would have been easy, even if she didn't know the way; the scent of chlorine was distinctive. It shouldn't have been difficult, but it was, because the Queen walked past a room that reeked of smoke.

It stung her nose and made her eyes water. Shit, residual fumes from the anesthetic gasses FIN had been dosing her with. Sookie knew she would reach the lower levels faster if she used the secret tunnels through her suite. The Queen may not have known much about the Palace, but she knew the evacuation tunnels, her father made sure. It was frustrating to know that the road was there, but she couldn't travel them.

The Queen stood there on the outskirts of the surrounding area trying to think on how to proceed. There was a chance that she was still in the race, but something told her that it was over. Eric never entered a match he wasn't sure he would win. Was it true this time around, even though he was human? It seemed like.

"Told you you made a bad deal, vampire!" Eric called.

Sookie looked up with a startled gasp. Eric was seated on the banister of the railing that led to the grand staircase.

"Get down from there before you break your neck!"

He threw his head back and laughed, teetering more carelessly on the ledge. "Another book," He threw down his proof that he had been to the library, in the event that she had missed his first. "Towel and a bag of potato chips."

Eric slung the small towel around his neck and dabbed at the slight beading of sweat at his forehead. Eric was sweating and to her he may as well be glistening. Sookie was looking at his bright, smiling face and tried to care that he would take anything else and it wouldn't be her time. She knew that it mattered but seeing him in this light, with his eyes so bright and his smile in full effect, she couldn't help herself. She smiled despite her loss of the race and her worry.

"Don't get such a big head," The Queen replied without an ounce of grace. "So you beat an old woman, so what?"

Sookie moved closer to where he was in the event that she needed to catch him if he fell. To her credit, she was very pleased with herself for looking not as panicked as she felt.

"I forget all kinds of shit, big freaking whoop."

Eric laughed, and with his messy hair and his slightly sweaty body, Sookie got lost. He was so much like the man she had known, loved, and lost. Yet he was different. It was a testament to her state of being that she was wondering what his sweat and new human blood would taste like as it flooded her taste buds.

"It isn't very regal to be such a sore loser," He retorted.

In the moment Sookie knew that he had forgotten what she wanted him to. He was smiling at her, seeming to thrill in his win and race itself. Then he leapt down from the railing, and terror in its clearest form gripped her. It was so forceful that it speared her in place when she wanted nothing more than to act to save him from a fall that would hurt him. Sookie couldn't move, but Eric hadn't been hurt. He navigated the two story drop, kicking off the banister, hitting the floor, and rolling into a neat crouch.

It wasn't with the grace of a predator or a feline, but with a person who had practice and experience falling. Why was that she wondered? Did he remember all the times he had flown without fear? If so, why did he remember that and not her? As he smiled so carelessly, she couldn't find it in herself to care.

"So what's it gonna be?" Sookie asked to distract herself.

"Access to a restricted area," He replied without a thought.

More disappointment. Sookie should have already accepted that he didn't know her, but with every smile she earned and every familiar thing she saw it was hard. Sookie had been looking to take his time, but he wanted something else and it wasn't her.

"I used FIN to run through the inventory of the artwork in the palace." He said, oblivious to her heartache, and so the Queen swallowed it. Their fun was over, at least for now. "It is quite extensive and impressive, but there is an unsigned piece that I want to examine."

Eric was curious. That was still very much true. "Can you navigate? I think at this point we can agree that I don't have a clue."

He laughed blithely and grabbed her by the hand. Several things happened to Sookie at first contact. First her body rioted. For a split second it was all out mayhem. His hand on her body sent a vicious blow to the robot that had been keeping her in check since she had sought him out the second time and shattered it.

The force of it was so strong that it made her head spin, her heart skipped a beat, and feet tripped over themselves. Her emotions roared, and she knew she could fight everything, but Eric. Desire unfurled and gripped her so forcefully; she had to bite back a moan. She pulled her hand back. It was best because she knew that he wouldn't appreciate her mounting him then and there.

If Eric noticed or cared that she was no longer touching him, he didn't show it. He led the way. The first half of the journey was made with the map, but after he reached the main atrium he put it away. It took a few more minutes, but she was facing a set of double doors of another suite. It wasn't until she was against the door did she know where she was. She placed her hand on the door missing her ever silent brother.

"This is Neiman's room." She told Eric. "He doesn't have art."

"I saw it in the inventory," Eric said. "It is definitely Ottoman Empire, but I can't be sure how old it is."

Sookie shook her head and took a step back.

"There are few things that I cannot give you, this is one. If Nim has this, then it is not meant to be seen by you or any other. We should go."

She would give Eric anything but her brothers and her father. She would forgive him anything but the same. Sookie had braced herself for anger. After all, he had won their relay fair and square. Eric didn't give into the emotion. Rather he watched her curiously.

"Is it stolen or a displaced artifact of war?"

Sookie shook her head. "I know no more and I wish to say no more."

"Why?" he asked. "If he's your brother, shouldn't you have some idea?"

"Because before he was a vampire and my protector, he was a slave!" Sookie exploded. "He knew nothing but the worst of human barbarism and till this day, he will not, he cannot seem to let himself forget their abuse. I'm not going to trample his sanctuary for you or anyone else!"

Eric looked shocked at her burst of anger, and he so should. Sookie had never allowed herself to feel or think anything the origins of any of her brothers. As a little girl she hadn't been able to understand. As an adolescent she had been able to act in a manner that would never open their wounds or insult their origins. In this very moment, she wanted nothing more than to hunt down the descendants of anyone that had hurt Nim and make them beg for death. Knowing Nim, Sookie knew that it wouldn't make him feel better, but her emotions demanded retribution for the pain her biggest protector had suffered.

Nim had filled her sippy cups with water or juice. He always made sure her milk was never overheated. He had never let her fall as she chased after him or the others. The thought of someone hurting Nim and living to tell of it, was infuriating to say the least. It was pointless to feel angry about it. If she knew her father, and she did, anyone that Felipe could find that had hurt Nim had been dealt a merciless death. That fact didn't quell her rage entirely.

Anywhere was better than standing there so full of impotent rage. Sookie turned to leave, but Eric grabbed her arm again and this time lust didn't flare, but comfort did. Not just comfort, but tranquility. It grew, but her anger didn't wane. It was so confusing.

"I'm sorry," Eric said. "I didn't think—"

She forced a smile. "It's fine," She replied. "Please excuse me."

The strange thing was that he looked sorry, an expression she didn't know his face to wear often. Sookie didn't wait for his agreement. It was the second time that she was pulling away from his touch; odd, seeing that it was the one thing that she wanted most in this world, yet it was the hardest thing for her to handle.


	18. Chapter 18

**Opening A/N:** It's been a while but I have been working. I just needed to make sure I knew where I was going with it. I also ran into a bout of writers block but I'm back so here goes...

* * *

The same thing that propelled him out of his suite and after her was compelling Eric again. He ignored it because he couldn't justify it as he had before. Earlier he had convinced himself that he owed her for having attacked her. He hadn't even apologized to her personally. That was why he had gone after her. It was a flimsy excuse, but it had gotten him up and out. He didn't have that this time around.

It was unwise to want it, but there wasn't a single part of him that didn't want to be near her, except the part that lived in constant worry of Free. That part kept him stationery. The most confusing thing? He didn't believe he was being reckless. When he processed how he felt about all of it, fear wasn't part of the mix. It wasn't there at all, although his nightmares had worsened. He took his meds, the muscle relaxers and the anti-anxiety ones. He so rarely needed them, still even combined they hadn't made a dent. That was troubling because stress worsened his nightmares. If they were too bad, he wouldn't sleep and if he didn't sleep, distinguishing his dreams and fears from reality became more difficult.

All the blood and the thrill of reveling in it had never been as real as the dreams he'd been having, not even when he was a kid and unmedicated. It trapped him and only her eyes could set him free. Ever since he had awoken to find those eyes staring down at him he had been unable to see anything else when awake or asleep. His fingers were itching to paint them and now that he was looking at their source, his imagination seemed so poor. Maybe it wasn't her and he was seeing what he wanted.

There had only been blue and green in her eyes, but the hues were so dynamic they may as well been their own rainbow. The shape of her eyes was rounder and her lashes were seemingly those of lavish feathered fans dusting against her cheekbones. So, yes, he wanted to go after her, but at the same time, he didn't. Rather Eric watched as the odd vampire Queen walked away. No, she wasn't crazy. He didn't know what she was or why he found himself following her, especially after he had decided against it.

She was still within sight which was good because he knew how fast she moved. After she had come to his room he had lost her entirely between one word and the next. That was the reason he had drawn the map. He had gotten lost trying to find her and he knew that if he didn't have a map, he might have still been roaming around aimlessly. Such as it was, he had done his best; his best had taken him where he wanted, closer to her and as stupid as it was, that was the truth.

Once there, things only became more muddled. All he knew was that he wanted her close by. _'Why not?'_ He rationalized. As she had said, it wasn't as though there were many choices for socialization. That clawing loneliness that had been clinging ever since he had left her hurt and broken on the floor vanished in her presence. Eric couldn't explain it, but he would call it guilt for the time being.

The further away the vampire Queen was, the harder it seemed to let her go. What made his interest even more absurd was that he was lying to everyone he knew with whom he had discussed all of this. Nat thought all was well and so did Free. He was practically covering up his own murder in advance! Yet, it hadn't felt that way. After having to race from the suite immediately after lockdown, there hadn't been any more fear, caution perhaps, but no fear.

"Consolation prize then," he called out.

She stopped and turned, eyeing him skeptically. "Yes?"

"I want the contract for the Rubens instead."

"Let's pretend that I don't know what that is."

For one second Eric thought she was joking, but then he saw it in her eyes, the ones that he had been seeing his entire life. Those piercing blue-green orbs he was so sure couldn't lie. Her uncertainty was true. Still, he couldn't believe it. She was old and her home was so full of beauty and artistry, the styles and modes he had spent six years in college studying and a lifetime appreciating. How was it she did _not_ have any appreciation for art?

"I'm really starting to believe this isn't your house," He told her in all seriousness.

If not for the speed he had witnessed, he even might have doubted she was a vampire. He saw her spitting blood into the sink as if the taste made her sick. She certainly didn't behave like any kind of royalty. Awkward, the Queen was that and a little nervous, but what reason in the world could she have to be nervous around him?

Of the two, she was the most powerful, she was the vampire! That was before you pondered her wealth and the fact that she was a genius. So why did she seem skittish? Why had she pulled her hand from his as if he had shocked her system? _Why did he care?_ Certainly, there was no doubt he did.

Queen Sookie was both witty and tormented. He just couldn't get a bead on her. This disturbed Eric because he had always been good at reading people. Why was this vampire different? For that matter, why did she grip him on such a primal level? Perhaps because she was the first vampire he had met?

Sookie laughed, pulling him from his thoughts, captivating him. He fought the urge to touch her. He wanted to smile for no other reason than she was happy. There was a stray lock of hair that had escaped the confines of her glittering head band.

"I can see how you might think that," She agreed.

She was looking at him with a smile so radiant, it seemed so familiar, and yet so strange because it felt familiar. Eric stared into her eyes and for an instant, that pull that had been propelling him to her, to soothe, to seek her smile or her company, grew tenfold. She watched him, her smile faded and a look of trepidation took its place. His hand rose entirely without conscious thought.

"So, where is this Rubens?" she asked, taking a step and effectively breaking the spell.

Eric dropped his hand and led the way back to her quarters wordlessly. What the hell had he been thinking? Seriously, what was the matter with him? He needed to get a grip. She was a vampire. It had to be proximity forcing attraction. He shouldn't be able to see past the 'v' word. Yet he was starting to so easily. What had begun as his worst nightmare come to life was now…he had no idea what!

It was true that she was easily the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She was walking ahead of him, seemingly confident in her navigational abilities now that she knew where they were headed. Sookie led and Eric's eyes were glued to her ass. He found himself wondering how a woman could appear both so perfectly slim and voluptuous at the same time! Her round ass, her artfully flared hips, her narrow waist, the arch in her neck, the curve of her generous breasts…

_'__You are supposed to be getting a grip not an erection,' _He reminded himself.

"Den!" Sookie called excitedly.

She seemed very pleased with herself. "It's in your suite actually," He said, sidestepping her while fighting the urge to smile.

Eric didn't blink, but suddenly she was in front of the double doors, barring his path. He arched a brow. Earlier he had felt truly sorry about upsetting her by trying to gain access into her brother's room. The story had been short, but had been enough to bury his curiosity, not an easy thing where art was concerned. This was nothing at all like that. Then she had looked heartsick and more than a little furious. Now she seemed nervous and embarrassed.

"My suite is not presentable currently," She said.

"I've already seen how bad it is," He told her with a careless shrug. "A day or so after lock down, Fin showed me."

"He shouldn't have," She said, wrapping her arms around herself as if she were lost and that was the only thing that kept her centered. She looked bereft. "I am sorry you saw that."

Her cheeks flamed a delicious shade of red. She was definitely embarrassed. He would tease her about it because, in truth, antagonizing her was the most fun he'd had with another person in forever. He didn't. She wouldn't meet his eyes, and he could see that it was more than embarrassment. Eric saw something akin to pain.

"What happened?" Eric asked, glancing at her.

She could explode at any moment, Eric told himself. He should be taking leaps backward, not steps forward. Before he knew it he was resting against the door. He was seated at the same place he'd been hours ago trying to reassure her. It blew his mind that he had no idea what she had looked like, sounded like, what her laughter or her smile had looked like back then. Now all of those were the most beautiful things he had ever experienced.

Sookie slid down against the door beside him. Not for the first time, Eric wondered how a woman so powerful could look so vulnerable. She drew her knees to her chest and her hands wrapped around them. Her chin was rested on her knees, but she looked as if she wanted to bury her face in her hands.

Sookie's head was held high and her jaw stiff. It was his first look at _the Queen_. Despite her stance, she exuded strength he no longer doubted she owned. It made him wonder what the hell had happened to her. What or who had hurt her so deeply that she had spent days screaming in agony? He had to know. Maybe then he would understand his inexplicable connection to this complex creature.

"My husband died," She murmured.

She was a widow? Looking at her beauty, knowing her title, and knowing all that she had, it was hard to believe that she had lost something, something so dear. She looked like a woman who had everything. Honestly, Eric wasn't sure what to expect when he had asked his question. He was more certain he hadn't been expecting something so deeply personal.

Those three words explained so much. There was a slight tremor in her hands. He watched as she gripped her legs tighter until her knuckles turned white, but the shaking in her hands never stopped. The grief never faded from her once cheerful voice. Her eyes, God! Her eyes that had once appeared so enigmatic now looked as if they were haunted by all the pains of Hell.

"I'm sorry," Eric heard himself say.

"It's okay. It was a long time ago, almost three decades," She replied.

Yet it wasn't long enough. She still felt the pain so acutely. The loss of her husband still affected her so much. He should back away. He shouldn't ask any more questions or push her, but he couldn't seem to help himself.

"Was it the anniversary?"

Sookie shook her head while running her fingers through her locks. Her jeweled band fell down the stream of her blonde hair. She removed it and set it on her knees. She didn't look at him, nor did she let her eyes roam the area. She stared into the diadem purging her past, her pain, and her truth.

"No," she whispered. "When he died, part of me died too. I never grieved or mourned. I just turned into this unfeeling…thing."

It could be that he was just a magnet and a sucker for broken women, but that wasn't it. All he knew was that he felt Sookie's pain. She was a vampire and a Queen. He didn't know her, but her pain and her truth couldn't be denied. It wasn't any more than his, not with the life he'd had, but she still managed to draw him in.

Eric didn't just feel Sookie's hurt. He internalized her pain as if it had happened to him. He wanted nothing more than to hold her because if he did all would be fine. That was a most absurd notion, believing she would need his touch for all to be right again. Not only had she been shirking away from it, from him, there was no reason why he should presume it would calm her. Her posture said she wouldn't welcome anything of the sort. The past was much too potent in the pain it caused her.

"I functioned, all lights and clockwork, I just existed, you know?"

He shook his head. "No. I cannot imagine that kind of pain."

Eric had suffered many things throughout his life. That special brand of Hell wasn't one of them. That said, he knew for certain the Queen had loved her husband. She had loved him enough that his loss was able to destroy her so completely. Eric understood that kind of love and the risk it posed. Unlike Sookie, the person he loved more than himself wasn't dead.

Rather Free was ruining his life from a mental hospital. She wasn't just costing him energy, time, and money. Those things were nothing in retrospect. Freyda was robbing him of a future. He couldn't leave her, not entirely, so he couldn't really move on. He was at peace with that. As fucked up as she was, as dysfunctional as their relationship was, he knew that underneath it all he loved her. It never even felt like a sacrifice. He would die to save her because life without her…

Eric turned to Sookie because she had fallen silent. He found her smiling at him. It was the saddest thing he had ever seen.

"That was my reality, and I honestly thought it would be my eternity, and then two days ago a single reminder just…brought it all back."

Her eyes shone with unshed tears, but after a long blink she was able to keep them from falling.

"Like I said, personal stuff," she rose to her feet in a single fluid movement and opened the door to her suite. "Come on then, let's see if that painting is one piece."


	19. Chapter 19

It wasn't. The portrait that was last appraised at almost one hundred and twenty million dollars was lying broken on the floor along with just about everything else that been right side up. The only thing that was keeping Eric from despairing entirely was the fact that the painting itself didn't appear damaged. The canvas was intact; it was the frame that worried him. It was broken and might damage the portrait if he couldn't get it removed soon.

"How fast are you?" Eric asked the vampire.

"I'm the fastest vampire I know," She said, sounding rather pleased. "Why?"

"I need my bag, but I don't want to leave the painting to get it."

"I am Queen, and you think I'll be your gofer?" She snorted a laugh. "Pfft, get real!"

There was no outrage, not that it would have mattered in the least. Eric wasn't going to leave this painting so she could get him what he needed. It was a matter of how much shit she was willing to take before she did what he wanted.

"I am an honored guest in your castle," He insisted. "This is also my consolation prize, so it should give me some allowances."

"Seriously?"

Eric's only response was a careless shrug. She stared at him, her face going blank. She suddenly exuded all the authority and power that had been artfully hidden throughout their time together. With her eyes were slightly narrowed and her head held high, this was the pose of a woman who was very well accustomed to ordering others around. That was great because Eric had a lifetime of experience ignoring people such as her! While she tested his resolve, he continued to be unaffected.

She threw her up hands! "Fine! I'll go, but I want it noted that it is only because I choose to!"

"Duly noted."

Eric felt the air scatter as she vanished. The debris stirred, but thankfully that was all. She disappeared, returning with a sheepish smile, and then took the map he created. He rolled his eyes, but allowed her to leave without further harassment. It was clear that she didn't reside in this palace. Also, if the residual smoke from her suite was irritating his eyes, he knew that with her heightened senses she was feeling it more. That was why he had been so certain of their earlier bargain.

It was only when Sookie was gone that Eric allowed himself to categorize the room. The reception area was the first room he had been in after he arrived in the castle. It had taken ample damage. The waiting area that led out of the sector had been dismantled entirely. The rooms that he passed in the hall were mostly untouched.

The hallway bore dents, holes, and scratches as if a clawed wrecking ball had passed through, but otherwise it wasn't too bad. Why was he so suddenly at ease about the amount of power that the vampire possessed? He wasn't sure, but it didn't matter. At least no irreparable harm was done to the Rubens. Anything beyond that and he would be branding her the devil incarnate.

"What'd I miss?"

Eric was smiling at her arrival before his eyes saw her. She had lost the sweater, and her tank top was so slim and nearly transparent that his mind wandered. Her breasts were made to worship. They were just too big enough, just too perky enough to make him hunger for a taste. '_Get a grip, Eric!' _

He silently scolded himself. He accepted his bag when she handed it over. For longer than necessary he searched through it. He took his time locating his travel restore kit. The rolled pouch was essentially a trauma kit for art restorers. Once Eric put on his gloves and mask he could forget the world, even the intriguing vampire female whom he found himself wanting more than he had wanted another woman, ever. Working on saving a masterpiece, he was able to blot her out.

"What are you doing?" Eric asked as he grabbed Sookie's reaching hand.

"Trying to help?" The Queen said. "You looked as if you needed a hand."

That may have been true, but he would have preferred one without potato chip crumbs and grease on her fingers. She wasn't even wearing a face mask. Eric wanted to clamp a hand over her mouth and nose. The only thing that kept him from it was the fact that he was rather preoccupied at the moment. One leg was lifting the fallen light fixture from the canvas of the Rubens. He was squatting on the other. One gloved hand was on the canvas trying to lift it out of harm's ways. The other was keeping the Queen from doing it any more harm.

"You have crumbs all over you from inhaling a bag of potato chips," He told her. Ones that she didn't think to share, by the way.

Truly, Eric wasn't sure what he was expecting. She sucked her fingers into her mouth, removing the crumbs. He watched, captivated. What would feel it like to taste those lips, to have her tongue in his mouth and all over his body, especially wrapped around his cock?

"Better?" The Queen asked.

"Worse," Eric sighed. "So much worse."

Sookie scrubbed the digits on her jeans as if that would make a difference. She waved all ten fingers at him and for no reason other than her ridiculousness, he laughed. Eric was laughing so hard that he had to take a step back from the painting.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" He asked, still laughing.

"Well, Doc, how much time do you have?" The Queen told Eric with a smile.

He refused to let her have the last world and he didn't want to let her see how much she amused him.

"Three days," he contended firmly. "Show me something!"

Sookie did. After he had done everything he could to rescue the painting and was cleaned up, they left her destroyed suite. At some point after leaving her suite he lost all fear. He was touching her casually and wasn't really conscious of it. He _did_ notice that she was no longer pulling away, and he was like a moth to a flame.

There was no doubt that he was enamored by this woman he had only just met. Well, not a woman. Sookie was a vampire, a vampire Queen, and he had never wanted a woman more. It was her body, although it felt like something more. He couldn't make sense of it and that made it that much more confusing. His curiosity was piqued.

This was so unlike him. He should be worried that he was glamoured. Sookie could be toying with his mind, but when she stared back at him with excitement and mirth gleaming in her eyes, he couldn't see it. She was just grinning at him.

"Come on, then," Those three words sounded like the best challenge of his life.

Everything he saw, everything he was feeling was real. Eric felt the evidence of it while they raced across the ballroom in their socks. He knew that Sookie was graceful and possessed all the honor of the fiercest predator, but she also cheated like he couldn't believe! After the relay across the ballroom floor, they were supposed to make it two stories without stairs. Eric scaled the walls using a lifetime of rock climbing skills; she flew, though to his delight she wasn't very good. That was the most vampiric thing he had witnessed, but still it didn't repel him. It fascinated him! Thoughts of her naked, hovering over his body, flooded his mind.

Somewhere between the race and after another meal, Eric lost when Sookie when she went to take a call. He wondered into a quiet little sector, one with which he wasn't familiar. His map was useless, but that didn't bring hesitation. He walked on, categorizing the rooms as he went. Then he heard music and it brought a smile to his face. His mind hadn't made the decision, but his legs moved following the hypnotic beat and it led him to Sookie. She was in a den that was obviously meant for entertaining.

The Queen was a vision from a fantasy. She was dancing in her tight jeans and thin top as if she didn't know it was a sin that she looked so good. Eric watched her dance and the scene blurred as if he had watched her dance a dozen times before. Sookie danced, nothing else mattered. She wound her waist, twirled her hips, and did all the things that drove some stupid, unsuspecting man out of his mind.

In that moment, Eric admitted he was that stupid, unsuspecting man. He had the thought and there was some truth to it, but as he watched her dance as if she was all alone he couldn't make himself look away no matter how hard he tried. It was as if she could feel his eyes on her. She turned and, suddenly, their eyes locked! The distance vanished when he looked into her eyes just as the remaining bits of his restraint or hesitation where she was concerned.

Eric wanted nothing more than to get closer to her, this strange, enigmatic vampire Queen. The nearer he got, the closer he needed to get. Still, every time he had touched her casually, or rather not so casually, she had broken contact. He should stop. Sookie wasn't welcoming his errant touches, how could she possibly be? She had lost so much.

No! He should look away. He should want to break the spell. Eric needed to curb his curiosity, attraction, and his hunger. He could if all of it wasn't focused on one woman. Somehow he had reached the point where he couldn't even if he'd wanted. His legs wouldn't stop pulling him toward the middle of the room where Sookie was still swaying her curvaceous body like a willowy vine in the wind.

"Wanna dance, handsome?" She asked.

Eric was so close he could breathe in the scent of her perfume. Why did it smell like everything alluring? It no longer mattered because that solidified he was going out of his mind. Her sweet smell, just like her eyes, felt so familiar and so crucial…

"You do look rather lonely," He commented, closing the distance between them.

Their hands were clasped even as he placed his hand at her back, and hers went with. Heaven, perfection, and all things that were right with the world was what Eric felt in that instant. He was up close, chest to chest, his body towering over hers, yet holding it so close. A blazing heat unfurled from all the places where his skin touched hers making the parts of him that weren't touching her ache for contact.

He drew her closer so their bodies were fully aligned, her hips and thighs to his. Their height difference allowed him to peer down at her face. Her cheeks were flushed; her eyes were wide with some unknown emotion. She didn't shrink from him as they danced tightly together.

"I don't understand it," Eric said after searching her face. "How am I this attracted to you?"

She blinked wanting to look away, but he didn't let her. Instead he dipped her, so she was still forced to offer him the truth of her eyes.

"I'm not your type?" Sookie asked.

He couldn't fathom a man that would think she didn't fit the mold. Well, he could think of one, himself. Every bloody nightmare he had ever had, all those violent delusions he'd been convinced were real as a child, the ones that were filled with pearly glittering fangs, blood, and night, and they couldn't make him shrink away from the tiny vampire in his arms. God, it had always been so dark in those hallucinations. The brightest things he had ever found in the midst were the eyes, her eyes. They looked up at him expectantly.

Eric had to wonder. Where was all that fury from being abandoned by his parents because they couldn't deal with his raving stories of being a flying vampire? Where was his hurt? Where was his underlying resentment? Gone, gone, gone. It was all her.

"You're a vampire," It was all he could hit upon and it sounded quite flimsy. "I shouldn't…"

"Shouldn't what?" she asked.

"I just shouldn't," Eric all but groaned. "But I want to so fucking badly!"

Telling the truth had taken his strength, but she only looked at him in confusion. "What?"

His smile was the same as always when it preceded him doing something he really shouldn't. "Kiss you, fuck you, and rub myself all over you."

The dejected, defected son of mere mortals wanted a hybrid queen of vampires. That sounded hopeless and insane, but it was the truth. Eric wished he could hear the song that was playing, but all he heard was her heart beating against his. All he could see was her face, her slightly parted lips, and her eyes. He drew his head down, his intent to kiss her clear. He moved slow giving her a chance to change her mind, but she didn't shrink away. She did not.

The closer Eric got the more he thrilled. What would she taste like? He had to know. At first contact, the feeling blew away expectations that he didn't know he had. He groaned, or maybe she moaned. It was hard to tell. All he knew was that it was like coming back to life. He lost himself entirely.

The way Sookie kissed and touched him, the way she couldn't seem to stop even though she couldn't seem to breathe, only served to drive his need higher. He needed more. They only made it as far as a chaise lounge against the wall. There had been this race to get his skin closer to hers, to strip away every stitch of fabric between them. Once she was lying there naked and bare to him Eric slowed.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

All Eric could do was shake his head. Not a single thing was wrong in this moment. It all felt so right.

He traced her body lightly with his fingers as if committing it to memory, but in fact it was familiar. Every luscious dip and curve of her body resonated with him. He wanted to kiss and touch every inch of it. He loved that she wasn't shy with her body. She braced her hands overhead and let him play.

When his fingers skimmed on the inside of her thighs she shuddered almost violently. "This is bordering on cruel," She moaned.

He smiled against the crook of her neck. He ran his fingers through her hair like his hands had been itching to do all day. He traced the fullness of her lips with his without kissing her like he wanted. It was the sweetest torture. She looked up at him, her eyes darkened and hooded with desire.

This wasn't about learning what she liked or what she wanted. For him it was about overloading his every sense with her. Sookie was the only thing he could smell, taste, feel, see, and touch. He was drowning in her and when he positioned himself over her they were both desperate for it. That instant his body invaded hers for the first time overwhelmed him.

Being inside Sookie transcended everything he knew about sex. It felt like no other woman had ever really been enough but he hadn't known it until her. She felt so right, so tight, and it was as if she was made for him, large as he was. He lost himself and didn't have to wonder about learning her body as to pleasure it. His just knew what to do.

"You're fucking incredible," Eric murmured, entwining their fingers and holding them over her head. He kissed her and thrust deep, long, and hard. He felt her orgasm build and that only added to his pleasure. The subtle nuances that should have taken longer to interpret were so plain for him to see.

When Sookie moaned as if in pain, she wanted him deeper inside her and he gave into her. When Sookie bowed off the bed and raised her hips, she wanted him to move harder and faster. When she bit her lip and gripped the sheets she was trying not to scream. He wanted her to scream and he knew just how to make her give in.

"Eric…please—"

Sweet satisfaction and utter male pride, he felt it as she came hard on his cock. Her body gripped him even tighter, but it was his greed to have more of her body that kept him from finishing then and there. It wasn't easy and when she got on top of him it was impossible. She rode him just right, taking her time to take every hard inch of him inside her, she rocked her hips and he touched her all over until it became too much and he was thrown into bliss.


	20. Chapter 20

Eric wasn't even fully awake, but his hand was searching the bed for Sookie. Last night he hadn't remembered falling asleep. He hadn't meant to. He didn't want her to see, but he had crashed and he didn't have a single nightmare. He dreamed and they had been such sweet dreams, or dirty, depending on how he interpreted them. In the dreams he had last night, Sookie had been the star.

She had made love to him as passionately there as she had before he had slept. Even in the dreams it was deep and felt more real than any of the dark images that had infected him throughout his entire life. It was just her, touching him, kissing him, smiling at him, and holding him as if there was nothing and no one else she wanted as she wanted him. Eric didn't think he had slept for so long and so peacefully since he was seven-years-old.

The bed was empty. After the night he'd had the difference jarred him greatly. That was really what woke him. He knew that as rested as he was, he would have been happy to keep Sookie in bed all day. Where was she? There was no doubt that she was long gone. Her side of the bed was cold. Was she lost in this Palace that was just too damn big for her? Was she falling apart again?

It wasn't until he had left his suite and was halfway across the ballroom did he realize that the sun was shining. It bathed every inch of the laminated hardwood floors; the rays complimented the golden ceilings. He hadn't seen the sun or the moon in days. From his place at the floor to ceiling windows Eric knew that lockdown had been lifted, but how and by whom, and where was Sookie?

"FIN?"

"Good day, Sir. How may I be of service?"

"Where is Sookie?"

"Paris, France, at last check in," He replied. "There was an emergency that required her immediate appearance."

Oh. That explained it and assuaged the worry that Eric shouldn't be feeling so deeply. A part of him, an instinctive part, felt like Sookie wanted to keep him there with her all along. He couldn't explain it, but after the initial worry for her he had been enjoying staying with her too much to think too much on it. To wake up and find her gone because she needed to be somewhere made him think he had been right in his assumption. Sookie had wanted to keep him trapped with her in this palace. That didn't anger him as much as he thought it would, which was just fucking strange…

A few days ago, being with a vampire would have sounded like a sentence in Hell. In all his delusions, no vampire had been awkward, funny, lovely, and down to earth as Sookie. He had been waiting for her to do something that would turn him off, but every word out of her mouth enthralled him.

Her life as a little human princess with an undead father who spoiled her, her experiences as the runt of the litter, her intellect, her love of dancing, her pain as she shared the loss of her husband, all of it had captivated him. He no longer saw her as only a vampire. He had wanted to, but there was so much that he felt with her and for her that he couldn't explain.

Had she messed with his mind? He didn't feel as if anything was off with him. Furthermore, why would she go through the trouble? What was so special in him that she would go through the trouble?

Sex with Sookie had been beyond their bodies. It had taken all that was wrong with him for so long and made it right. How to explain that without sounding crazy? He couldn't, especially because it wasn't just the sex. It was every other little thing; like knowing she wanted the right side of the bed and that she liked her cream and sugar with a little coffee, and the fact that she couldn't sing worth a damn. He'd known all that without seeing it. Not being able to explain his sudden knowledge and bone deep need for the vampire Queen didn't make it any less profound.

"How did she undo the lockdown protocol?"

"She did not as she was subject to the lockdown, her husband lifted it."

Eric had been moving carelessly through the sunlit palace enjoying the light in search of food. He was thinking of cooking enough for him and Sookie for when she returned. His mind was on the little recipes he had mastered over the course of his life, so the information given by the Holo took several seconds to sink in. Even after he absorbed it, he still couldn't believe it. He employed denial as a tactic to help dislodge the news.

"Her husband is dead," Eric said.

There was a momentary lapse where FIN seemed to have a glitch and that gave Eric hope, but it was for naught.

"The Queen remarried; her second husband is Caspian Lesley Brogan."

Sookie had offered responses that had been too politically correct ever since the moment he had spoken with her. He had known it and filed them away, but a husband! He may have doubted her words that she spoke when she was being so formal. He knew that she was hiding things and that was to be expected.

She didn't know him and so he shouldn't expect the whole truth. Being married wasn't something he would have guessed that she might lie about, especially after she had lay in his arms, crying, and talking about the perfect man who had been stolen from her.

Anger came to Eric then. He didn't know if it was because he had believed the words of some strange vampire Queen over his instinct, or if he was now at a loss of what to do because he had trusted her. What did it matter though? He had had his fun and it was time to go. He had to get away. The only other woman who made him so confused was Free and look how that turned out. He needed to get away from the vampire Queen, her issues, and her husband.

Eric grabbed his bag and stalked out of the empty palace. He couldn't chart his course to the garage where he'd left the motorcycle. FIN was on line so the Holo was able to call a driver. The middle-aged man who arrived wasn't one whom Eric knew, but he didn't ask questions.

The driver dropped off Eric at the same address as the drivers from BC coach. In record time, he was packed and ready to leave this state, this country, and the vampire who seemed intent on ruining his peace of mind. There were still two days left of his visit here and he decided to use them to drive.

Eric had already finished packing, and then he ordered a rental car. Why not enjoy his exit out of Fantasyland? He hated being alone, especially with his thoughts as jumbled and confused as they were, but he needed this. He needed to disengage, badly.

If Eric made good time he might be able to make Free's visit. Thoughts of his ex-wife filled him with worry and guilt. He had been calling the clinic to check on her via the on-duty staff, but not speaking with her directly. With Free, the latter was tricky. He never knew for sure what version he would get.

While he had been enjoying lockdown and being cut off from the real world, he hadn't even called the clinic, Nat, or anyone. He had been happy in the bubble where he felt like he had conquered his greatest fear, and had founda great woman as well. That wasn't true and he hated himself not because Sookie lied, but because for all he knew Free could be in crisis again. It was that fear, no matter how unwarranted, that made him abandon his plans to drive home.

Eric sacrificed the supplies he couldn't take on the plane in order to get home faster. Part of him, an inexplicable, instinctive part, left his things there as a way to be followed. Disappearing forever and never seeing Sookie again was what his wounded pride called for, but his heart wanted that one person again. Honestly, he was so pissed off and hurt that he could kiss that damned vamp seconds before he killed her married, lying ass!

"Neil, it's me," Eric said once he touched down in Vancouver.

"Oh shit!" He cursed. "You're early, was it that bad?"

"No," With every fiber of his being he wished that he could have lied. Not only was it not bad, it was the best few days of his life. He shoved those thoughts away.

"Her Highness had an emergency, but I have everything I need to complete her project so it's fine."

Eric could hear the exhale of relieved breath as it escaped Neil. "Nat's has been worried sick about you. So naturally instead of calling and nagging you, she's playing through and being an absolute terror to live with."

Eric smiled. That was Natalie in a nutshell. "Tell her I'm going to see Free and I'll be home after."  
"I only heard the last part of that message," Neil said.

Eric laughed because Neil had always pretended to know nothing about Free. It was Eric's guess that it was his attempt to deal with being between a rock and hard place. Where Nat had nothing good to say about Free, Neil pretended that she hadn't stalked him in order to find Eric. He was forgiving that way.

"See you then," Eric said.

"By the way, Nat is going through a Thai food craving that won't let up…so that's what's for dinner, lunch, and breakfast until some other weird bout hits her."

"Thanks for the heads up!" Eric laughed.

Two weeks ago it had been white rice and ketchup with boiled eggs sliced over the dish. Eric had seen and smelled hot garbage with more appeal. He would be sure to eat before he got home. He was just the roommate, so he could do that. Neil was her husband. He was so screwed!

Talking to Neil had lifted Eric's spirits. He stopped off to pick up Free's favorite snack and caught a taxi. By the time the car was pulling in front of Marshall Psychiatric he was better. If he had never lived a psych ward he wouldn't have understood just how top of the line the Marshall was. It wasn't just a hole where people shut away the disturbed ones that they didn't want to see.

Eric cleared security easily. He was on a first-name basis with them and the orderlies, too. He sat in the common area of Free's housing unit. He knew the minute his arrival was announced. She bolted without waiting for an orderly to escort her. They could be heard calling after her, but none of them gave chase. They knew where she was headed. Eric saw her wild, ecstatic face and he couldn't help the sense of relief that engulfed him; or the smile on his face as he held his arms open for her.

"Eric!" she shouted.

Freyda threw herself at him so fast and with so much force that if he hadn't lifted her off the ground to curb her momentum he would have been on his back. Her legs wrapped around his waist and she held him to the point of pain, but he didn't complain. Holding her in his arms was the most familiar thing to him in the world. It wasn't the most desired, but it was familiar and crucial to his peace of mind.

"Hey, Free," He said, holding her tighter still. "How are you?"

Eric hated himself, but he had missed her so badly. That thing that he felt with Sookie, the thing that had overshadowed his loneliness couldn't wash her away. He had worried about her. They were chest to chest, face to face, and nose to nose. He was never more centered than he was right then, even when they were at their worst it was still the truth, even when he didn't want it to be. It just was.

"You're sad," She said, pulling away and holding his face in her dainty hands. "What's wrong?"

Her bright green eyes peered into his blue ones. All he could think of was how different they were from Sookie's. With Free there had always been this born need to protect, help, and heal. When she was hurting, it was all he could do to stay in his own skin, after all the passion had faded, that need to protect her remained.

Eric felt like no one ever saw him in the way she did. In that instant, he had to wonder if he was seeing only what he had wanted her to see. Eric wasn't sad, at least he didn't think he was, but Free knew him more than anyone else in the world or so he thought.

Sookie had done a good job of anticipating and predicting his actions. It hadn't even felt as if she was seeking or attempting to see through him. It had been normal that she knew he had no fear of flying or falling. It had felt natural that she had called him 'baby,' and he had called her 'Lover.' He really needed to stop thinking about this. It no longer mattered. He was out of lockdown, out of the vampire palace, and back home. He needed to get with the program.

"I'm tired, long week. How are you?" He asked.

Eric set Free down and when she reached for his hand, he held hers. They headed toward the visitation rooms. He listened to her talk about her week while she inhaled the chocolate-covered oranges she loved so much. Not much had happened, but Eric wondered why she didn't mention all the things the nurses had when he had checked in.

He also thought it odd that Free didn't tell him of the song she was writing, or the fact that she had spent every night in the music room since he left Canada. It was definitely strange, but he didn't question her. She was just happy and stable, that was all he cared about. Fooling Free to believe he was fine was easy enough. That wasn't to say that she had never succeeded in fooling him. He figured out what her angle was when her doctor joined them.

Doctor Whitely began with the preamble of how Freyda was doing. "I think that after these past trying few days her request warrants some serious consideration."

"What request?" Eric asked, looking between the doctor and his ex-wife.

Freyda faced him and she looked calm, but he knew better. Her face was too empty of emotion, her posture too straight, and her body too still.

"I have been writing a song. I've been online shopping a sample and someone wants to buy it."

"That's a very good thing, great really. Congratulations."

Hell, it was all he could do for Eric to keep his excitement for her contained. Something big would be happening for them both. He wouldn't have to worry about leaving her behind. Maybe this would open all the doors being with him had closed. Perhaps this would give her that last push he couldn't to get better and to get past their divorce. Then why did Free sound so nervous?

"An A-list producer wants it, but it means—"

"No," Eric said immediately. "Absolutely not!"

"It's just for a few days in California," She argued.

"California!" Eric exclaimed. "I can't trust you yet on your own here at home for offsite or weekend visits, never mind a different country."

Free lost her shit immediately and completely, "As if you want me home, you are too busy screwing your whores to want me around," she yelled.

"I think we should all take a moment to deescalate the rising tempers."

Eric looked at the good Doctor with an expression that said to shut his fucking mouth. He wasn't alone. Free gave him a similar expression. It was always this way when they fought. It was as if it was another form of intimacy, no one else was invited or welcome. Even if he killed her or she killed him that was how they wanted it. How easy it was to slip back into their destructive pattern.

"First of all, I don't have whores," Eric snapped. "Even if I did, they have nothing to do with your health. Second, you going home shouldn't involve me. You know that!"

His tone was more defensive and his anger higher than it should have been. It was because of Sookie. It didn't matter that he had a roster of other women. He was defending that one. Truth be told, he would use that word and worse to describe her at the moment, he was that angry with her. Still, just because he would call her a lying, cheating whore to her face didn't mean anyone else was allowed to even think ill of her.

"This could be my break," Free implored.

"It won't change your health, and that's all I care about," Eric retorted. It would give her means to fight him and he couldn't imagine what would become of her if she won before she was ready to be on her own.

"You could come with me?" she said, dampening her anger and that was new for her, to go from shouting the word whores, and then trying to be cajoling. "It could be my work trip to the States, like you just had."

So it was a definite no then. All the things that had happened on his trip; most were good, but it had started out so badly and had ended even worse. He couldn't imagine Free going through that. She was making an effort and he did the same. He pulled in several deep breathes, and counted to ten five times before he spoke.

"I would give anything else to make you smile," Eric offered because he could see the tears rimming her eyes and it ate at him.

"I don't want anything else."

Eric was an enabler to his ex-wife. He knew that, but this was one of those times when he became something worse. He couldn't stop being her knight no matter how battered he felt. This was what Nat said was wrong with them. When Eric and Free had been kids the routine worked. She fell, and he picked her up. She hurt, and he eased her pain.

Now that they were no longer kids trying to escape Hell, neither of them knew what to do. Even if he never fully admitted it to himself, he saw the wisdom in that. Yet when faced with this, a decision that took her beyond a place where he couldn't be sure she would be safe he didn't care.

"Free," Eric called. "I love you, you know that."

Tears were streaming down her face, but when Eric reached for Free to comfort her she shrugged away. It hurt. More than the hurt was the shock. Not once, not ever, had she refused his touch.

She nodded. "Yes."

She still looked as disheartened when she walked away.

Eric left. He wanted to take his frustrations out on the doctor, but it wouldn't change anything. He certainly couldn't bring his attitude home. Instead, he hailed a taxi and had it deliver his luggage home. He decided to walk the six miles to the closest train station. The length of the trip would give him time to run from his thoughts. He was running from the vampire Queen and his ex-wife. He was trying to reconnect with his sanity. It seemed to be on holiday.

When Eric finally made it home, the things that were troubling him hadn't gotten easier, but they were at least a few miles behind him in the wind somewhere. It was where they belonged. He had done the right thing with Sookie and Free. He needed to do the right thing again. His agent was waiting at the foot of the steps. He knew that if he had come later, he might have found her en route to the Marshall, she was so impatient. She must have been beyond tense; she came in hot using her mother tongue, French.

"I thought you were dead, that I'd signed you up to be murdered. I feel so much better," She gushed. "Are you alright?"

"That would have sounded better backward," Eric said, hugging her.

She punched him in the ribs, but didn't let him go. "They paid on the hazardous and accidental death portion of the contract the day after you got there, but you were calling and sounding like you so I didn't know what to do! Damn you, pretty boy! I was scared to death!"

Eric knew that FIN had been the one to pay out probably because the Holo hadn't liked Eric's chances of survival that first day. The Queen had been too deep into her personal issues to do so. When she had she had been with him and she had made it seem like she never wanted to part ways. She had though, being married she had to want that more than anything.

"Does that mean that you're not going to collect your commission?" Eric asked Nat, truth be told he wouldn't take the commission if not for her sake.

Nat laughed and she looked as calm as you would want a woman in her condition to be. "Get real," She hooked her arm in his and led the way into the house. "I want to hear all about it though. What happened? What made them give you hazard pay?"

Eric knew he should have told Nat everything, but the words escaped and they seemed to mince themselves. He didn't want to upset her. Without a doubt, he knew that she would blame herself. That was the last thing he wanted. He told her about some vampire having a meltdown, but it was so mild that he hadn't even known they'd paid out, which was true.

Night fell and it was well past bedtime, but Eric was wide awake. After falling asleep so easily and so peacefully with Sookie in his arms he knew sleep wouldn't come. When he went out into the garage to try to purge his thoughts on canvas he was blocked. He sat there and didn't make single mark. It wasn't until the sun was bathing the world did he give up. It was a first. It appeared as though the vampire was managing to take away all his comforts after the fact.

Eric lay in his bed and waited for sleep. Even the promise of nightmares didn't ward him off. He just wanted to stop thinking about all the reasons why he couldn't stop thinking about the vampire Queen who was no doubt no longer thinking about him. He needed to get her out of his mind. That was a task for tomorrow. Eric was too tired for anything else at the moment. He heard Nat and Neil eating a late breakfast as he trudged up the stairs and into his room. Eric tripped over his sweatpants as he shrugged them off and collapsed on the bed.


	21. Chapter 21

Soon Eric was in that place between dreaming and awareness. He had slept the entire day away. It was almost dark outside. The thought of night brought his mind to the vampire Queen. Although having her on his mind might have been what kept the nightmares at bay, he didn't know. He didn't want to think about it. He would go out tonight and find a woman to make him forget her.

Eric was half-dressed and seated on his bed lacing his boots when that sense of calm, that clawing loneliness that always clung to him faded. Sookie was here. He didn't even know how he knew. Well, he did. There was an instant thrill that shot through him.

"Natalie!" Eric heard Neil call. "The vampire Queen of Three is at the door.

"Ha-ha, Neilan, very funny."

"I suppose that depends on your brand of humor, madam," Sookie called.

There was silence, and then Eric heard Nat squeal like a little girl.

"Holy shit!" His agent said.

Eric's scowl deepened. He didn't want Nat near Sookie. Not because he was worried about his friend's safety, he just didn't want Sookie near him. The fact that she was here and that the proximity only made him want her was the last thing he needed in his life.

"Come in," Eric heard the change in Nat's tone. She was working. It only made him more furious at Sookie, if for no other reason than Nat paying her any kind of mind.

"Please do not strain yourself on my account, especially in your condition.."

"I needed to get up anyway. What would it be? I don't have blood to offer, but I hear that you eat human food."

"Thank you, but no, I am here to see Eric. My time is limited. Perhaps he would be kind enough to grace me with his presence."

"No thanks!" Eric said, turning his back to the door.

He knew that everyone in the house heard him, especially the vampire.

"Eric is tired from his trip," Nat said, trying to salvage the Titanic with a fishing line. "Would you like to make an appointment?"

"No," Eric said.

"Why are you being a dick?" Sookie asked.

She sounded closer and her tone was about as friendly as his. Still, he could feel the effect of her proximity on his skin.

"I don't like vampires."

"You like me, a whole lot."

She was definitely closer because his body was in an almost all-out revolt at the control in which he was attempting to clamp his desire. The undercurrent of everything she awakened in him was aching to connect with her.

"I don't."

"Bullshit," at that point she was almost at his door.

Eric's libido, his emotions, and his heart were all yearning so badly. It wasn't a feeling he had known until her. Sookie didn't fit the mold. She was much too relatable and in so many different ways, she was so human.

"Whatever, it's not as if you're any kind of vampire anyway."

"I'm your kind of vampire," She was.

He was silent, having no rebuttal for that.

"May I come in, please?" She asked and he could hear the smile in her voice.

No. He knew that was such a bad idea in so very many ways. He was also eager to see her face because he was still stuck on stupid. He threw on his t-shirt and opened the door. It had been just under a day, but seeing her face threw him. Fuck, he thought annoyed with himself. Where was his anger? Why was it that all he could see was her, her eyes, and her voluptuous body?

All Eric could remember was how good her lips felt and how thoroughly her body had drowned his in pleasure. He could almost feel it, even though she looked nothing like the awkward, denim-clad woman with whom he had been locked in a castle. No, the opposite was true.

Sookie, the version he was seeing, was one of royalty from the intricate plaits that her long locks were wound in to her proper dress with nothing about it hinting sexuality, and it only just added to her beauty. The gloves and the four inch heels told Eric he was looking at the Queen of Three, not the woman with whom he'd been trapped in that castle.

He'd been caught staring, and when she smiled he emptied his expression. "Outside."

She sighed, but when he led the way out of the house she followed. In front of the house were three black sedans.

"Why did you leave?" Sookie asked. "Why didn't you tell me where you were going?"

"Why should I have to?" He retorted as calmly as he could manage. "I was locked in a palace with you, and once I was free, I made a run for it."

"I didn't mean to imply you were a prisoner. I was just—"

"Kinda was. It wasn't like I had a choice in the whole thing," He told her. "It was fun and I didn't die. All's well that ends well, but I'm not sure why you think that gives you any right to show up at my home uninvited and unannounced."

The fact that she appeared hurt should have given him some satisfaction, but it didn't. It didn't matter because her expression became menacing, furious, almost as quickly. "You feel something for me; I know that for a fact."

"Yes, it's called Stockholm Syndrome."

"That particular pattern of brainwashing involves cruelty with random acts of kindness. I would never do you harm."

She had though and she was still refusing to admit it. That hurt Eric more, but the way she looked at him so sincerely shook what he knew for a fact.

"Whatever, then. Proximity forcing attraction."

"Bullshit!" Suddenly her body was suddenly pressed against his.

Eric never saw her move, but reaching down and pulling her up to his lips felt as reflexive as drawing breath. She kissed him and just like that, Eric was transported to that place where nothing and one else mattered but her. As neat as she looked he wanted, no! He craved nothing more than to rough her up in the most intimate way.

"No!" Eric said, placing her down and that was one of the hardest things he had ever done.

He had never felt more alive, more whole than he did than when she was in his arms. Not being able to explain that was bad enough. She was married. He couldn't. Eric knew he had to find his resolve. The more of his sense that she took, the more of his sanity he would lose.

"Why are you this angry with me?" She asked, seeming to search his face. "It is because you regret being with a vampire?"

Was she trying to play at his compassion? He didn't know, but seeing the desperation on her face made him force the words through his lips.

"I only regret it not because you're a vampire, but because you're married."

"What?" she asked dumbly with a most unusual expression for her face.

She was really going to make him say it? Fine then, Eric had never had a problem calling someone out on their bullshit.

"Your husband! You know, the one that lifted lockdown so you could go tend to your vampire emergency?"

"Ohhh!" she exclaimed with a laugh that wasn't nervous, but relieved. "I thought…never mind. It doesn't matter."

"It does, I don't like to share!" Eric told her, taking a firm step backward and breaking contact fully. She didn't let him go; taking his hand in both of hers.

"No, you don't understand. My brother got into trouble, again."

Sookie explained and her frown seemed almost etched into her pretty face, it was that deep. "This time he pissed off the vampire King of France. More than that he got hurt and required emergency extraction, and I was the only one available."

He believed her and he had no idea why. Just like he knew things about her it was as if he just accepted her words because lying about something like that was beneath her. Maybe he believed her so easily because he had been accused by Freyda more than once of his platonic relationship with Nat and even Neil.

Everything about Sookie was familiar to his mind, body, and very soul. Of all the emotions she elicited in him, pleasant or not, none of them felt wrong. Even being pissed off at her had felt natural. Having her so close made him realize he would have forgiven her even if she had lied as he had assumed.

"So you made up a person?"

She shook her head. "Nah, that wouldn't have worked. It had to be someone already with Alpha level clearance. Cas and I have been friends for…"

He waited. This might give him some idea of how old she was. His eagerness might have shown because she caught herself.

"For longer than you have been alive," She said.

Damn!

"I just changed his status so he could let me out."

Sookie smiled nervously and rubbed the back of her neck. "Of course he's less than happy. He had his heart set on being an eternal bachelor. I'm taking him out for our divorce dinner. You can meet him?"

"You're supposed to be a genius. You mean to tell me you couldn't think of that prior to the emergency?"

She was going to lie to him; he knew it the instant she decided. Suddenly she was standing taller and there was no emotion to be seen on her face as if to better bluff him. The knowledge made Eric smile, which made no sense, but he could see it so clearly on her face. She must have known because she told him a half truth, tricky vamp!

"Maybe I lacked incentive," Sookie replied. "Or perhaps I loved blotting out the rest of the world. In those few days, I was able to be with someone who didn't care that I was half out of my head, and he didn't care that I was a Queen or that I was a hybrid. That person, despite being averse to vampires gave me a chance to be me, awkward and weird as I may be, but he liked me."

Those enigmatic eyes stared at him brimming with so much truth and, really, what else could Eric do? He pulled her close and this time when they kissed it wasn't short. It was enough to have him losing his mind, wishing she was naked, and they were somewhere else entirely. The chirping of her phone intruded and Eric knew he had to let her go.

"I will send a car, the jet will be fueled, and waiting." Sookie said, pulling away.

Instead of being annoyed or angry, Eric chuckled. "You are having another douchey moment," He informed her as he fixed the collar of her light coat.

"I missed you. I'd been worried about you, for a human you are really hard to find. I thought it would be easier to arrange your travel."

"I missed you, too, and I'm glad you came."

She leaned in closer to him and hugged him. He held her with her face in his chest. One word came to mind to describe the way he felt; perfection.

"I don't know what this is between us. I won't even pretend to get it, but one thing I can say for sure is that arranging my anything; travel included without talking to me is kind of…"

"Insulting?" she offered.

"Presumptuous, condescending, and infuriating because I have a life. I can't nor am I willing to just leave it all just for a chance to sit in your palace; pretty as it may be and wait for Queen girlfriend to finish working so I can vie for a few uninterrupted moments of her time. I am not going to let you define me, I can't."

It had taken him too long to find himself. He was never going to lose sight of the man he was. By the guilty; somewhat disappointed yet wistful look on her face Sookie understood, but she didn't like it. She growled and the noise that he should have taken for aggression was sexy as hell. The caused the bushes to rustle, but she waved her hand and it was if the night itself went silent, not even the wind blew. Talk about crowd control, he mused to himself.

"I have other palaces," She enticed. "Lots and lots of art."

Eric laughed at her as he pulled her into his arms. "Stop it. You sound like a stranger with candy."

Other than a despondent sigh and her holding him tighter, she didn't reply. He was relishing being able to have Sookie this close again. He felt like she did too. Since he had parted with the warmth of her body it was the one thing that he had craved more than anything else.

"I know you're in a rush," Eric said.

Just like Eric didn't want her to define him he would never want to define her, not her title or her happiness. Then again, he had no chance of that. The Queen might want him and want to be with him, but her greatest love was lost. He would never mean as much to her as her late husband. Kissing Sookie goodbye was the hardest thing he had done all week, and considering the week he'd had that was saying a great deal.

Eric walked into the house while she turned toward her fleet. He saw the ten vampires from the safety of the living room as they left in the shadows. Fear, he waited for it, but, it didn't come. Eric's eyes were on Sookie and the change she had undergone from the last touch goodbye. She was a different woman than the one he knew. This version, the Queen, was sure and firm. Even the way she walked, it was as if the ground rose to meet her. He was watching the brake lights fade in the distance as Nat finally decided to pester him.

Eric sighed because it was going to be a long night, but that didn't wipe the smile off his face. Already he was waiting until he could see Sookie again. Anything was worth that. There was no sense to be made of it. All that mattered was that she wanted him and he wanted her.


	22. Chapter 22

"Zee," The Queen called, but her immediate older brother was already out of the car and beside her.

Sookie sighed and looked at the sky as if it had all the answers she was lacking. Considering the situation she had rushed to bail him out of yesterday one would think that Zee would be on his best behavior. Not so much. It was a testament that loving your siblings never meant you didn't fantasize about murdering them from time to time. Sookie wanted to kill him just so he would stop making her life difficult for longer than five minutes.

"Go back to the house. I have to work."

"You are not allowed to order me about, Shy," he said with derisive chuckle. "I changed your diapers and made you stop being afraid of the 'Loud Potty Monster.' So shut up!"

No one could bring the Queen down to size quite like him. That was why they were traveling with his guards. Zee's guards were used to it and Dorian pretended not to hear. Going to pick Zee up had been nerve-wracking for her. When she had found him in France it had taken every ounce of finesse for her to extract him, especially without her father's help or knowledge. Being the idiotic and emotional mess that she had been and still kind of was, she had sworn to Zee not to tell.

If not for the recent birthday party Sookie had held, she might not have been able to pull it off. Not only had Zee been trespassing, he had also been drunk and in the bed of a duchess who belonged to King Amir. It had been a shit show. It had cost so much money and she had to give a big fucking boon to the French King to get Zee back not just in one piece, but entirely unharmed.

When his distress beacon had been activated, every member of the line had been alerted. She had overridden the system to make it look like an error. Being in the arms of the only man she had ever loved hadn't kept her from coming to her brother's aid. Vampires sucked sometimes and not in the good way. They could have charged Zee and made him accountable for the damages and his trespassing, but no. He wasn't a citizen, a subject, or a vagrant rogue.

The rules of engagement when dealing with someone like Zee was to go for the highest member in his line, a regent. That came with a certain level of treatment, so when Sookie arrived at the penthouse of the French vampire King, Zee was singing and drinking diluted fairly blood all of which Amir added to her tab. Needless to say, at that point she became less concerned for her sibling and more inclined to want to punch him in the face.

All her memories and the emotions that came with them kept her from it. For the first twenty five years of her life Zee was her favorite person, in some instances more than her father. Nothing could override that, not even the fact that he was choosing to tag along with her. When she had removed him from the custody of Amir she had been hoping he would go back to whatever else he was doing before he got into trouble.

That wasn't happening. She was his partner in crime, where Ollie was his partner in travel. At the moment, Oliver was in Boston and on his own mission, which had to be going well because he hadn't checked in. It was natural that Zee would look to her; except he was noticing the difference. He couldn't put his finger on it because she was fighting to hide it.

If Zee knew that she was whole again he might instantly guess the reason. He was perceptive that way. It just wasn't something that she was ready to make common knowledge not with her relationship with Eric so new and her emotions so raw. She also didn't know all the facts and those were something that her father would want to know.

It had taken a good amount of trickery and backstabbing to lose him in Canada so she could go see Eric. Sookie had arranged for some of his biggest fans to be at the airport, and if there was one thing Lysander couldn't resist, it was an impromptu, intimate jam session with his fans. Sookie hadn't been as slick as she thought. He was now eyeing her and sticking close. He wasn't saying anything, just letting her know that he was on to her.

"You'll be bored," Sookie tried to explain. "I've got a lot of catching up to do."

"Why?" he asked, hooking his arm through hers. "My ever efficient Queen, whatever have you been up to? Does it have something to do with your lockdown not too long ago?"

Sookie knew her father wanted to believe that she couldn't lie to him. In a manner of speaking, she couldn't about certain things, but when it came to Zee he saw right through her. It was because they had gotten into so much shit together that they knew each other's tells much better than their own. On more than one occasion it helped them deceive Felipe though it never lasted forever.

"Zee, I really need you out of my hair. Yes, I know you know, but I'll tell you what I'm up to when I'm ready."

He leaned into her with that smirk that had trouble all over it. Sookie tried not to smile and she was successful until Zee wagged his perfectly shaped brows devilishly.

Sookie shoved him playfully. It was a shock because he nearly fell and if she hadn't caught him, he would have. He looked at her and the humor was gone from his eyes. There was this wild, reckless hope and unbridled joy. It brought tears to her eyes and to hide them, she pulled him in for a hug.

"I have to work," She said.

Sookie knew her hold was so tight that it was bordering on uncomfortable, but he didn't shrink away. He also didn't embrace her in turn.

"Stay out of trouble."

He smiled and it was really a glorious thing. "I will… Of course, not enough that it isn't fun."

Before she could contest he was off on foot and she was heading into the building that was going to serve as the makeup site for the day she had missed at court in Louisiana. It was a long night. It wasn't as long because Dorian had done an exceptional job. It allowed the Queen to be doubly effective. While she was presiding over cases in Louisiana as she sat on the throne, she was approving the calls that Dorian had made in her absence. So far Sookie had found no cause to disagree with her assistant.

"One of your vampires tried to kill my daughter."

Well, so much for a smooth work day! The Queen looked at the middle-aged man and the rage that was emanating from him was enough to call the vampires into the building controlled as it was. He was in the classic military 'at ease' position. His eyes were fixated on the Queen. It was if he wasn't seeing her, rather like he was glaring through her. She waved her guards away.

"That weighty accusation would trouble me, but I know my vampires. They behave because they fear me. They wouldn't risk my consequences just to take the life of a human. Judging by your age, your daughter, she is a still a girl?"

"Eighteen and a freshman at LSU," He agreed.

"Then, no, that is highly improbable. The age of consent for vampires in my state looking to enter any sort of interpersonal or professional relationship with humans is twenty-five."

"Then perhaps you're not as terrifying as you believe," He challenged, finally meeting her eyes.

The Queen could have unleashed the predator within her. She could have taken control of the man in front of her, but something in his expression told her that she didn't want to be in his head. She had him escorted out of line and into her study. It took a little over two hours, but Sookie returned to him. He had been waiting none too patiently.

The man who FIN identified as Quincy Clarke was damn near climbing the walls. He was fifty and for a human his age he was in great shape. His haircut was still standard military type though he has been retired from the service for ten years.

"You need to know that if you're going to kill me to make this disappear; I have certain insurances in place."

That was the option that the robot would have chosen. Had this been a month ago, The Queen would have ended this human and his daughter. Then she would have hunted down the vampire responsible and made an example of him so horrific that no vampire in her state would so much as jaywalk past a school. Looking at this desperate father made her think of her own.

"I wouldn't expect anything less from a Navy Seal," She said.

"Ex-Seal," He corrected, trying to make his pose casual.

The Queen gave him an 'A' for effort, but he was trying to bullshit her. "There is no such thing," She told him. "Be that as it may I still think you are mistaken."

"I'm not," He insisted.

Mr. Clarke reached for something in his back pocket and Galleon chose that moment to show that he was eager to do someone harm. The Berserker bared fangs and his gauntlet was showing his raised sliver blades. The human moved slower and Sookie called off her dog though she made no apology.

"She was leaving her night class when she was attacked," He said, placing the flash drive he had been reaching for on the table.

Sookie made no move to reach for what this human presumed to be evidence. "I have a tight hold on my vampire citizens. Unless your daughter was special to one of mine in some way—"

"She wasn't!"

"Then they wouldn't risk my wrath…it would mean great pain and eventually their end. Vampires are heavy into self-preservation."

"He choked her until she stopped breathing. If not for some pre-med student jogging by, my baby girl would be in a fucking box!" He yelled.

The royal guards moved in, but Sookie waved them away. Her heart was breaking, but she didn't let it show. She couldn't. Instead of giving into emotion she flipped through his mind and it was there. All she saw were the events that corroborated the story. It was enough. It was also more than she could bear.

This was all too close to home. Not the trauma, but the emotions she had barely scratched coming from the man before her. What would it say about her as a Queen if she cried as she wanted to for the father's pain and that of a daughter he felt as though he had failed?

"Instead Molly's at a hospital wondering why she can't remember anything except the fact that she wanted to be brutalized by a man she didn't know. No matter how violated she feels and how many showers she takes all she knows is that she liked him hurting her. So with all due respect, Queen Sookie, I disagree."

Sookie waved her hand; Dorian retrieved the memory stick and brought it to her.

"I will assign you a security detail," The Queen said.

"No vampires!" he insisted. "Moll can't even think the word. She won't be able to deal."

"These are my terms; take it or leave it," She replied blandly.

The Queen's tone was matter of fact and she watched Mr. Clarke's turmoil and indecision. She didn't have to explain to him that if this was indeed the work of a vampire they wouldn't stop until they finished the job. It would serve to cover their tracks. The human knew that. It made her temper her tone as she attempted to reason with him.

"I know that you want to be active, but you have done all that you can, otherwise you wouldn't be here. Go and be with your daughter, reassure her like nothing and no one else in the world can. I will take it from here."

She entered his mind. He needed to sleep and he needed to let Sookie do what she did. Sookie had fallen out of practice with her own personal fashion of glamour, but she tried to be as subtle as possible. She knew that if this man walked away feeling as if she wasn't serious, he had other plans, and taking out his sniper rifle and murdering vampires was just one. He wasn't violent or a bigot. He was a father who was watching his child hurt.

As she eased him Sookie also made him a vow. "On my Honor as a Princess of the vampire Monarch of Nevada and my Word as The Hybrid Queen of Three, I will find who is responsible for the crimes against your child."

"Even if they are vampire?"

It was then that Sookie let the predator leak from her eyes. He didn't shrink back, she was in his mind and it eased further without her influence. It was there that Sookie saw how desperate he really was. He had been counting on her.

"Especially if they are vampire, I promise you. Quincy Clarke, this person, whoever he is will visit Hell long before I finally send him there."

When he left the Queen assigned two of her best sentinels to watch over Quincy Clarke and his daughter. Exton and Tia were about as visible as mists if they didn't want to be seen. She also placed a call to Bishop. It was close to dawn, but the general answered.

"Forgive the late hour," She said. "I am inquiring about Ashley Bynum. Have there been any noted differences in her behavior?"

By the look of disgust on Bishop's face he had been wishing for just that, but it clearly hadn't happened.

"She had a visitor, a young daemon, a Soul Reaper. He bore her scent, but she refused to see him and refused his attempt to pay her fines."

"She doesn't want him to know what happened to her," Sookie murmured.

It wasn't until that moment did she realize that she believed Ashley and cleared her of all suspicion. The callous way that she had treated the young vampire entered her mind and she couldn't stand it. She felt as guilty as the male who had victimized her.

"Inform Ashley that new evidence has surfaced and, in light of it, she is being granted a royal pardon," The Queen ordered.

"What is the new evidence?" Bishop asked.

"Nothing solid, but it does requires further observation."

"Yes, Your Grace."


	23. Chapter 23

With the time she had on the ride to her main estate in New Orleans Sookie wanted to call Eric. Through some miracle of self-control she fought it. She instead inserted the flash drive given to her by Quincy Clarke into her computer. It held the initial police report and all documents pertaining to his daughter's attack.

It should have been extensive, but it was only four pages. It was as if no one involved since the medical student had found her cared. That had been the only detailed part. Jameson Saint Pierre had been on his midnight jog and saw Molly Clarke on the ground. She wasn't dead, but there was barely any pulse. It was weak and by all reports he had to have worked hard to strengthen it.

By the time Molly arrived at the hospital she had crashed twice. She had been critical, nearlycatatonic, but not a corpse. No one had given up on her. From the pre-med student to the EMTs and the Trauma Unit doctors, they had all kept her heart working even if she couldn't. The story should have received some kind of media coverage, but it hadn't. Someone had made sure that this case was going to fade to obscurity. That wouldn't strike her as suspicious if the incident was a random act of violence. It felt like the girl had been targeted, but why?

Whoever it was hadn't done their homework. If they had they would have chosen another victim. At the very most they would have made sure to do away with her father first, unless they were wary of drawing attention to the case. Any vampire who had lived in the New World for any amount of time knew not to fuck with the military men, women, or their families. They just weren't worth the trouble and shit could get very messy very fast.

"Your Grace," Dorian called. "My car waits."

Sookie had spent the past two hours working with FIN to find something that tied someone, anyone to Molly Clarke. It was inconclusive thus far. All that meant was that she was missing something. She just had no idea what.

"Does this case look familiar to you?" The Queen asked.

Dorian moved closer and, after inspecting the pieces the Queen presented, she nodded. "Ashley Bynum comes to mind, but the sexual assault is the only correlation. They are both very young in the eyes of their respective species, weak."

Sookie nodded, but the little detail that connected the cases couldn't be a coincidence. In the past decade, there had been three dozen reported cases of sexual assault perpetrated by vampires. All those cases had been solved and the perpetrators expunged or executed. The odds of two cases springing up so closely together, but being unrelated was low.

It also wasn't enough to build anything concrete. She should outsource this case to Bill Compton, but she had given Mr. Clarke her word. It was more than that, something in her wanted to find this vampire on her own, to punish him without a trial, execute without fanfare. He didn't deserve it.

Sookie was at home, but Zee was nowhere to be seen. His guards had returned so that meant he was off on his own, no doubt causing trouble. She wanted to follow his trail, but she knew she didn't have it in her at the moment. She knew her brother. Most likely he was in the French Quarter in a disguise absorbing much of the culture. That was his thing.

The case of Molly Clarke was still on the Queen's mind as the sun rose. She called Eric, but he was asleep so she replayed his voice message over and over until the work day fell away. She was hitting repeat maybe ten times when she finally abandoned the unanswered call and changed for bed. She knew she wouldn't sleep and went in search of Zee.

She didn't have to go far. Zee was on his way to her. They met ran into each other in the middle at the grand fire place in the main receiving area. Then they both fell out laughing while they exchanged presents.

Zee had brought cookies and milk. Sookie was bringing him a heated blood with a magazine about the A-listers today. Zee never got tired of reading about himself. They spent hours together as if decades hadn't passed that they had been together like this. He didn't even ask how. She thought that he was just glad his partner in crime was back and truth be told, so was she.

It was almost breakfast when Sookie's father called. All thoughts left her mind, but the emotions were still there. She smiled at the face on the screen.

"Hi, Daddy," She greeted.

"Hello, my little Queen," he replied. "It is good to see you are well, I was worried about you."

She beamed him a smile because he was pretending she hadn't emoted on his voicemail days ago. Knowing him, he was probably replaying the message checking for inconsistencies as to better ensure that she was truly herself.

"Now I am concerned about Lysander, do you know where he is?"

_'__Be cool,'_ Lysander mouthed to her from behind the scope of the video phone. The Queen was trying to get her emotions under control. There was just so much she wanted to say to her father, a confession wasn't one of them, but still. She was also doing her very best not to stare at her brother who was doing a great job at being a distraction. He was giving her everything from weird hand gestures to a despondent shake of his head.

"When his distress beacon activated I checked on him and was able to confirm it was an error. He was well."

"Informative, but do you know where your brother is or not?" The King asked.

Damn, a yes or no question. Her father was looking at her so intently that he would know if she lied. She couldn't lie, but she couldn't tell the truth.

"Zee?" she qualified.

"Yes," Felipe replied coolly. "Lysander Adrianis, he is your immediate sibling. He is the one who required emergency extraction from France a day ago. He is also the one who is no doubt standing to your left as we speak."

Busted! It was a relief not to pretend that that half of the room didn't exist now that she was caught. That was the code, if you got caught you went down alone. Zee was on his own. When he came into view to face his Maker, the King looked like an unusual blend of relieved and infuriated. It wasn't until that moment Sookie knew that he was wearing his "Lysander" face. Certainly it wasn't one of which she had ever been on the receiving end. It made her a coward, but she tried to roll her plush office chair right the fuck out of there!

Long ago, Felipe had told the Queen, then princess, what Zee meant to him, but it was now that she was seeing the consequences that the King paid for the timeless joy her brother brought to his life. Sookie watched Lysander put all his wiles to work. Never one to miss a learning opportunity, Sookie took notes from the side lines.

"I should have you thrown in the dungeons and strung up by your thumbs," Felipe hissed.

"No," Her brother said, bowing his head. "Please!"

Zee actually made her believe that the King would ever do such a thing, which they all knew he wouldn't. His stormy gray eyes immediately grew bigger and it was as if he would fall apart sobbing at any moment. His classically handsome features were pinched in utter misery. Damn, he really hadn't been kidding! It took aptitude to look and act that miserable at the drop of a dime!

"I am sorry. I did not know," He begged, now speaking in Spanish, the King's native tongue. "It was a mistake. Please do not be angry with me, Sire."

"Stay with your sister because that is the only place where I know you will be safe from my wrath!"

Now had that been Sookie, she would have taken the warning and laid low for a good long while. Zee frowned as if some travesty of justice had just befallen him!

"For how long do you think, like approximately?" He asked. "I have a thing—"

The noise that escaped her father was one Sookie hadn't ever heard. It sounded like a swarm of vicious hornets!

"Shy'ra, keep him away from me!" The King growled. "I swear to…"

"I will, Daddy."

With one final glare at Zee, the King hung up.

"Seriously?" Sookie asked, shoving her brother. "You had to ask that?"

"What?" Zee said with all traces of his profound sadness suddenly gone. "Don't tell me you are worried about _him_?"

It could be because her emotions were new, but that had been enough to raise the hairs on the back of her neck. Call her a coward, but she was still very much intimidated by her father.

"What would he do if we didn't get into trouble?" Zee asked. "It was why I retired; to keep His Highness on his toes was your job, so you're welcome. That shit wasn't easy, especially since you turned into Sookie 3.0."

Anyone else would have thought it too soon to make that kind of joke, but not him. She had to laugh because that was just Zee. He said whatever and did whatever. Part of it was because he had been a pop star during the Great Revelation age, but it was mostly because he was of the De Castro Line. Everyone knew that they did what they wanted. That arrogance wasn't born of power alone; it was a result of the test of the time.

"He looked really pissed though," Sookie commented.

Zee waved her away with a snort as he left for bed. "Two weeks, tops. By the Games, I will be his favorite person in the entire world again."

The Queen hoped so.


	24. Chapter 24

Growing up, Sookie never had a boyfriend. How could she? Her father was an Old World vampire. She spent all her time outside of her studies training with Doctor Wexler, or alone inventing things. She rarely went to school. The first boy she thought she loved was a seventeen-year-old by the name of Graham Saunders. She had been fifteen, her fangs had just come in, and puberty had been at its highest peak for her all at once.

It had been nothing but a crush, but Sookie had never felt anything like it before. It had been so hot, exciting, and it clouded her mind! Then he'd left her for an easier lay when she had been horrified by the thought of having sex with him. She had flirted with many other men, but there had been no romantic experiences until Eric. That had been Fate and it had been so strong, so turbulent!

One thing that Sookie had to admit to herself was that she was inexperienced and her ego kept her from thinking it played a part in her relationship with Eric. She was a genius after all. She had made mistakes in not trusting Eric and or herself. All she knew was that she didn't want to make the same mistakes again. Even with that vow, she wasn't sure she was doing things the right way.

A long distance relationship wasn't something with which Sookie had any experience. It was doubly difficult because it was Eric. They texted throughout the day and before bed, they had a video call. It was trying, but there was a certain kind of thrill to it all. She knew that when she saw him it would be explosive, not just for her body, but for her mind and her soul. Sookie hated and loved it. Talking to Eric and not being able to touch him was a sweet torturous anticipation, an unyielding passion that was brimming under every mile that separated them.

"How was work?" Eric asked her.

It was only the second night from the time when she last saw him. Sookie certainly wouldn't admit that she had been waiting by the phone for his work day to draw to a close.

"I don't have a job," She told him because she was eager to talk about him, but he wasn't going to let her have it.

"So your states run themselves and all you have to do is smile and look pretty?"

"You think I'm pretty?" Sookie asked.

She knew he was being sarcastic, but he had also called her 'pretty'. It was the first time ever at least since they had made love.

He rolled his eyes. "Stop stalling; tell me how your day was, I want to know."

"It's…complicated, messy sometimes, hard and unforgiving the rest of the time," When Sookie admitted that to him, it was then she was forced to admit it to herself that being a Queen was hard. It seemed like an obvious thing, but she just never thought about everything she did or had to do. She just did it.

"If I thought it was easy, I wouldn't think to ask."

Having no other choice Sookie told Eric the truth. She told him about how she was stuck with Zee because he was in so much trouble. She also went into more detail about what he had done. Eric laughed, which didn't surprise her.

"I was scared," She admitted, recalling the noise of pure hostility that escaped her father as he scolded Zee. "On the other hand, Lysander was so blasé. He can get away with bleeding murder, I swear. All he has to do is stop singing, smiling, being him, and Daddy just can't deal."

Eric laughed. "You sound jealous."

"I am," Sookie admitted without pause. "It's kind of funny because my Dad knows he's being played, but he can't help not giving in. Don't let Zee pretend to cry! He's scot-free! I'm the baby. I get a lecture on grace and might for whining—"

"Wait, you don't mean _The_ 'Zee' as in vampire pop star sensation, Lysander Adrianis?"

Okay, how was it that Eric who, by the way, had an aversion to vampires knew her pop star sibling, but he had never heard of her? She voiced that question and he told her.

"My ex loves him. Do you think you can get her an autograph?"

Jealousy should have been what Sookie felt. She braced for it to blind her, but it didn't come. Rather the emotion prickled, but the look on his face…it curbed the rest. He was smiling at her as if she could make a wish come true. The Eric she had known never asked for anything. This was a treat.

"Zee owes me many favors," Sookie said. "Enough favors that I can do you one better than an autograph."

Eric smiled and thanked her.

"She won't know what to do with herself!"

The subject of Zee led to her explaining the difference between Old World vampires and New ones. She also told him how she knew Amir. He seemed to hang on every word, much like she had when the tables had been turned. Then she had been his amnesiac who didn't know she knew all that and so much more. Somehow the conversation moved on to the subject of Molly Clarke.

"Not that I think you were lying to that man, but I have to ask, do you really care?"

That gave her pause. Not that it should. Eric had simply pieced together her words. She was a vampire who had to adhere to the vampire politics that she just explained. They often included putting vampires before humans.

"It's looking like the attacker is vampire so yes, I really care." For no reason other than she always told Eric everything she kept talking throwing caution to the wind. "I have to, if I don't no other vampire will."

The Queen's phone call with her Lover had to be cut short when Dorian entered the room.

"I know you have to go," Eric said. "Tell me where you'll be in two days. I'll come see you."

Yes! That thrill that had been lurking under their every interaction flared. It wasn't just a lascivious thrill. It was joy; joy at holding him in her arms again, being saturated by his scent, and buried under his lust. She gave him all the information he would need and then some to get to her.

Sure that she hadn't heard from Caspian about Eric, but something more was happening. She and Eric were connecting. Their relationship though it had gotten off to a more than shaky start a week ago was budding. She had a date to look forward to and she was planning for it. Everything would be perfect. All was well in Sookie's world, and then she got phone call from her father.

"I just got the preliminary wedding contracts back from Grayson," He told her. "The turnaround time was less than an hour, even though I asked for more than you wanted. I signed on your behalf. I canceled our meeting tomorrow and gave him the time slot."

Sookie hadn't ever really been punched in the stomach unexpectedly. The Queen was too skilled of a fighter for that. If she had though, this was what it would feel like. She was nauseated and struggling to comprehend what her ears were hearing.

"He appeared genuinely disappointed with the meeting only being an hour long and asked me to see if there is anything you could do."

Dorian pulled up the calendar.

"Directly after is the opening match up for the Games; it's Florida versus Texas," She inserted. "It would be highly offensive if no one of her blood was in attendance as King Stan and Queen Helena will be there."

"I should be able to move some things around," the King said. "Inform the regents of the change. I will be attending in Shy's stead."

"At once, Your Grace."

Not once, not for a fraction of a second, had the King of Three entered her mind ever since finding Eric. To be honest, Grayson hadn't much crossed her mind since she was a robot that had left him so long ago with promises of marriage, children, and ushering all the hybrids in his state out of hiding. Those memories were swimming round and round as her assistant and father managed her time.

It shouldn't be so jarring, but it was to listen to them managing her time with her sitting right there. It didn't even seem odd to either of them that she had nothing to add. This had been the norm since she had been Queen. Dorian managed her time and every now and again, her father would make changes to her schedule much like she had made to his. It had been her life. When she blinked, Dorian had gone and her father was moving his computer to the side giving her his undivided attention.

The king looked as relaxed as she had ever seen. "I never thought it would take another like you to bring you back. I was so sure I had lost the best thing that ever happened to me," He told her. "I had given up hope that anything would, but perhaps there was a reason why you never met another like yourself until King Grayson. Your wedding will be one for the ages."

Felipe laughed. It wasn't just him flashing his special smile, the one that was just for her. It wasn't his restrained jubilation when Zee smiled at him. It was just a laugh filled with so much happiness that the Queen truly was disarmed. It put all thoughts of telling him the truth from her head. The amount of guilt that it brought to mind made her want to vomit.

"I didn't know what to think when I heard your message. I didn't want to believe what it could mean, but I do now. You are you."

Sookie smiled as everything in her life just turned to ruin. "I am."

The Queen's mind was whirling. How had she forgotten promising something so major to two powerful Kings? Sookie didn't even know which was worse. Felipe had been so sure that she wanted Grayson that he had signed her name on so binding a document. Grayson had also signed them, even though she had been gone without contact since they parted ways.

If they weren't vampires, that may have been grounds for hesitation on his part. Such as it was the Queen knew that it was standard. She had also told him that her father would be handling things. That would have been enough, but her father had all but gushed during their phone call. Sookie's mind was on Eric, but how could she break her father's heart, his word, and hers as well as renege on the King of Three?

There was no question in her mind that the wedding couldn't come to be, she just had no idea how to make that happen without a clash of some sort. The matter kept the Queen preoccupied all night as she tended to her duties. Even after she was finished and the sun was up, and all her vampires had gone to ground, her mind was preoccupied still, so much so that she couldn't sleep. Naturally, the more tired she got, the more irritable she became.

"Why are you still awake?" Caspian whispered.

She heard him enter the room and knew he had been moving quietly as not to wake her. She pulled the covers back as he shrugged off his jacket and kicked off his shoes. He removed his shirt and all but collapsed beside her.

"What did you find out?" She asked, sitting up.

"In the event you forgot I don't always look like road kill."

He did look bad, at least compared to the norm. There were dark circles under his eyes. Cas also looked pale, not like fair and creamy, more like unwell.

"It can't wait."

He shot her a look. "I need to sleep. I'm fucking exhausted."

"Just tell me and then you can sleep," It wasn't so much that she was insistent. That wasn't what pissed him off, it was the command with which she reflexively laden her voice.

"I've been hopping from realm to realm trying to help you and if you can't let me sleep, then you can shove it!" He sat up reaching for his shirt. "I'm going home where there is no ungrateful fucking asshole and I'm going to stay there until my best friend quits being—"

The problem people made when they pissed off Cas was that his insults could just keep going. He would tell you off for as long as he felt angry and entitled.

"I'm sorry, Cas."

Sookie grabbed his hand and pulled him back into bed. He sat and let her keep his hand, but he didn't try to reassure her, most likely he was curbing his own temper. Just when the Queen thought he had fallen asleep sitting up he spoke.

"You're never a dick to me, what's up? Is it Eric?"

"Grayson."

"Oh shit!" He exclaimed, clapping his hands over his mouth. The gesture was almost comical.

"Yeah…"

"S_hiiiit_!"

Sookie smiled sardonically because he was really adding so much to this conversation.

"Pretty much."

For a few minutes they sat there both knowing what that meant. The reincarnation of Eric had been the subject. It had been everything. It still was, but what do you do when everything that mattered wasn't the only thing there was? What had felt so simple yet attainable a few days ago; making Eric see her as a woman and just a vampire, having him fall in love with her all over again. Now so much separated them, least of all being the details of his reincarnation.

"What are you going to do?" Cas asked.

Sookie knew what her mind wanted. She knew what her soul needed, but her heart was torn. As she looked at Cas, the Queen had no idea entirely. She fell asleep waiting for a solution yet it never came.

There was a voicemail from Eric when Sookie awoke close to dark the next day. He was teasing her about not really being a vampire and just being a lazy bum who slept all day. She laughed and just as suddenly she began crying. She could say that her emotions were still out of control, but that wasn't it.

Sookie was lying to Eric. She had lied by omission regarding who he was and what he meant to her, but after being reminded of Grayson she now felt as if she was deceiving him. The look of pained resolution on his face when he had thought she was married to Caspian entered her mind. It would have hurt him to detach from her fully, even though he couldn't explain it. It would have cost him, but he would have done it just like she knew that he wouldn't forgive her if he found out about Grayson. That gave her the resolve she needed.

_'__I won't make the same mistakes.'_

She couldn't. Cas was awake beside her and she told him the decision of her heart. "I have to recall the wedding documents. I can't marry Grayson no matter how much it hurts and disappoints my dad. I can't."

Sookie knew that she sounded so resolute and brave, but Cas hugged her knowing how much she was risking. No matter how much she wanted the Queen didn't let herself shed a single tear.

"Let's eat; I have much to tell you."

That was the only thing that pulled her out of bed.

"Maybe I'm just being unappreciative asshole—"

"Debatable," Caspian interrupted.

Still with the attitude of her mistreatment from last night obviously, so it was best not to address it.

"What you said doesn't sound like much," Sookie commented.

"Fintan said he will answer all your questions if you spend time with him," Cas replied. "I am placing heavy emphasis on the word 'all'."

Sookie growled long and hard. "I don't have the time. I'm behind on business stuff, the Games start next week, I have to find a vampire that raped and nearly murdered a young human woman, and I have Grayson to work off my plate."

Something told her that wouldn't be so easy. Who was she kidding? It was obvious why it would be hard. He was like her! She wasn't attracted to him; she hadn't even really looked at him. The difficult part would be cutting ties to the only other hybrid she had ever met. Her hope was that he would put his vision of ushering others like them out of the night and into the light. Not knowing much about Grayson, she didn't know how likely that would be.

"Then there is your father," Cas added sympathetically.

"Then there is that," She agreed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"You aren't doing anything right this second though," He said coolly.

She scowled at him because he'd set her up.

"I wouldn't be your friend if I didn't call you out. Here and now, I call bullshit on all that. I've watched you keep your cool in the heat of a full-scale battle. I'm not buying your spiel about being overwhelmed by anything or anyone."

He watched her and she didn't even think to deny his word. "I think you're scared about meeting your biological father. Fintan is someone that you've cast into the abyss of your mind for so long that I think you had made peace with never seeing him—ever. I don't think even you know how to feel. So you employ standard vampire practice; avoidance, kill it, and then add some denial and deception for good measure."

"Don't psychoanalyze me!" Sookie snapped.

"I'm qualified," He replied with a shrug. "I had a license, of course, that expired back in 1960 or 1970 something; I can't say for sure, I spent much of the time high as a kite."

That wasn't really shocking. What the Queen found shocking was the fact that Cas was likely right about her. Nothing about her origins had been hidden from her as she was growing up. She had known her mother had been killed. When she was older and had asked about the woman who had given birth to her, again she was given truth.

No one had known anything about her biological father other than that he was part-Fae because so was she. That may be why there had always been this shroud of mystery and curiosity. Once she found out about Fintan through Claudine, and then through Niall, Sookie hadn't really cared to know any more. Now she was being forced to meet him when she would have been happy to never see his face.

"He gave you Eric," Sookie told herself as she stared into the bathroom mirror. "He gave you the one thing that nothing and no one else could."

Once she found out how the reincarnation was going to affect Eric, if at all, Fintan could return to his role as sperm donor with a single glorifying moment in fifty-five years of fatherhood. That was the objective of the meeting. She would be seeing Fintan for the first time in approximately five minutes. Cas had arranged it and though she didn't ask him he was sticking around and staying close, really close, as in seated on the lip of the bathtub watching her while she talked to herself, close.

"Intruder alert," FIN said, invading her thoughts.


	25. Chapter 25

Sookie meant to scream because the Holo had just scared her half to death! Her mouth was hanging open, and her hand thrown over her heart to keep it where it was!

"Elevated stress patterns—"

"It's fine," Sookie said, slowing her heart rate. "I'm fine, FIN!"

"How the hell are they just walking across my grounds?"

None of the Queen's estates were manned by vampires. Everyone coming in or out checked in with FIN. In the footage Sookie was looking at two fairies had teleported across her gate and were moving toward the house.

"Two intruders and they are fast approaching. Parameter breach is imminent. Activation of Psi protocol is strongly advised."

"Okay, let's act like our IQ's and not like our ages," Caspian said.

"The Psi protocol will—"

"I know what the Psi protocol does, but I think you are getting hung up on the whats and forgetting that they were invited."

"They are not my schedule and have not been entered into my data bank," FIN informed him.

"That is not a reason to blow them up!" Cas snapped.

Both Sookie and her Holo shot him a baleful expression. He glared back. Sookie had to admit it was true. Still, she was tempted to test her defense on her biological father and his friend. If they got in so easily they could avoid a few missiles, right? Strong as it was she resisted the urge. Right now, the most important thing was Eric. She could go over the footage later and find out how Fintan entered her palace without permission and so little trouble.

Sookie was the Queen her father had raised and so she had pulled the cloak of the robot she had been to shield her. By the time the front door was being opened she was in control. She had enough that the face she saw didn't shake her cool, though she knew it should. It made so much sense that Cas had advocated for Fintan. Sookie resembled him so much it was uncanny.

The Queen was a female version of her biological father, but with her mother's body. Her eyes, the shape, the big curly lashes that adorned them, her nose, her lips, even her cheek bones were all endowments from the masculine face of her biological parent, and bestowed upon hers. Those would have been enough, but Fintan or rather the scruffier version of him, Cas called him Dermot, Fintan's older twin brother, he too had those eyes, the same exact odd coloring she inherited, that they had all inherited from the Sky Prince.

In fact, the Queen didn't know how she knew who Fintan was. They were identical, but the disposition guided her. She had never imagined that her father would look as roguish as his twin. Still, it was as if she was looking at herself through a three-way reflection. She couldn't look away. She wanted to speak, but no words came, even when Fintan began crying for no reason she simply observed.

"Is there a witch here?" Dermot called. "I only ask because of the wards."

"How then did you enter without permission?"

"Permission? Me?"

He cackled and it made Sookie look at him closer. Something was off about Dermot. She couldn't say what. His laughter seemed off and lasted a fraction of a second too long. There was also this nearly-vibrating tension coming off of him that seemed to stop only when he touched Fintan in some way.

"It wasn't difficult if that's what you're getting at."

"Ignore your Uncle Monty," Fintan said, placing himself directly in front of the Fae in question. "His brand of humor leaves much to be desired."

That didn't really warrant a response. This was a bit like expecting… She had no idea what for brunch, but The Queen had received the Mad Hatter and his assistant instead! It didn't matter though. This was a simple business transaction just like the dozen others she had made since breakfast. If she gave Fintan time, sparse as it was, he would give her information.

The Queen nodded her head in acknowledgement. "Please, follow me."

She then led the way onto the garden veranda where their meal was being served. Sookie took longer than necessary settling herself in, but she wasn't the only one. Cas was focusing on his folded napkin as if it was puzzle on the astronomical geometric prism, he was acting as if it was taking every brain cell he had! The most relaxed person at the table was Dermot. He was eating and humming happily to himself. Okay, he was definitely off if not out of his mind more than a bit.

The touchy feely-ness so common for the Fae were exaggerated by Fintan and his twin. They'd walked in hand in hand. Every so often Dermot would stop his eating and humming to wipe Fintan's tears, kiss his cheek, and run a hand through his hair. It was helping to soothe Fintan, but Sookie didn't have all day. Having Fintan continue to stare at her wordlessly while he wept was beginning to agitate her. In fact, if she wasn't careful her exasperation about this whole thing would show.

"I think we can skip the formalities," Sookie began. "Tell me about Eric's reincarnation process."

Caspian did something he hadn't in a long time, he stepped on her foot. She knew if he was in her mind, he would be screaming for her to stop talking. "Surely that can wait; your father would like to hear about you. He has waited for so long."

"Eric is the only reason you are here."

Cas had resorted to squeezing her hand to the point of pain, but she was ignoring him. Sookie had her eyes fixed on Dermot. Her expression was automatic and was meant to silence him. It should have made him cower. It would have brought greater men to their knees, but he became a predator in a blink. His head dropped low, yet those eyes that were so much like her own were unwavering in their aggression.

"You should not look me in my eye. It irritates me and you do not want that. When I am irritated, I am severely disagreeable."

Unless he was going to turn green and start smashing things he wouldn't be doing anything she had never come across before. Her smile was so vampire. Sookie flashed the perfect amount of fang. It wasn't a warning, more like an invitation.

"Before you stand there is a good chance that I will have my pretty little fingers around your neck."

Fintan was out of his seat and standing behind his brother with his hands on his shoulders as if to keep him in his seat.

"Do not goad him," Fintan warned.

"Fuck him," Sookie replied.

Without warning Dermot started laughing and all hints of hostility faded from him. Fintan slapped him upside his head before reclaiming his seat.

"She has my temper," He announced. Then he flung something at her. His hands moved so quickly and the speed of the object blurred its shape. It wasn't until she had knocked it away with her cutting knife did she see it was a dagger. It wouldn't have killed her, but still! Fucking rude!

"I have half a mind to shove that—"

Dermot's eyes didn't lose that manic air, but the danger that had been pouring of him eased. Fintan was smiling, which irritated the Queen more than his not-so-sane twin.

"You have my speed and strength. Explains why your temper hasn't gotten you killed," It was as if he was talking to himself. He retrieved the dagger he had thrown and headed for the entry way that led out of the veranda and into the house.

"Fin," The hologram and the Fae responded.

Dermot ignored the hologram, though he had unintentionally called him. He was smiling at his twin affectionately. "I am going to look around the house and maybe find a witch to eat."

Then he strolled away humming happily as he went.

"He was joking, right?" That question came from Cas.

"He is teasing mostly," Fintan replied.

That garnered him a look of censure.

"So there are witches here?" He qualified.

"No, but there are humans and one vampire."

Fintan smiled brightly. "Monty is very good with humans."

Sookie heard their conversation, but all she could hear was, 'Fin'. For a genius, she was starting to see that she missed quite a good deal. How had she not made that connection once finding out the name of her biological father? At least ten times a day, the Queen called on her holographic butler. Even before she knew who Fintan was she had named her Ai, 'FIN.'

How was that even possible? Until hearing his name from Niall, she had never seen him before or heard his name. Then how had she named her greatest creation after him? She had no response, and truthfully, that wasn't the important question.

"Tell me about Eric," Sookie repeated. "What did you do? How did you do it? How will it affect him now?"

"First tell me how you are," Fintan countered and reclaimed his seat.

Without his brother, the Faery suddenly looked off-kilter like a car with three wheels. His arms were folded across his waist, not defensively, but to keep his balled fists from showing. He was tense, too. All these were markers of distress that she was ready to exploit, but he had another half that was floating around the house. She couldn't fight; she didn't have the information or the leverage to win. She had to play nice.

"What exactly would you like to know?" Sookie asked tightly.

"You turned fifty-five a few weeks ago. It was a grand celebration. I missed it, and every other you have had in your life. I understand that there have been many for the vampire has been good to you."

Sookie kept her face empty and her mouth closed. Nothing Fintan had said was a question.

"More than anything, I need to hear from your own lips that you have had a good life."

"The best," Sookie said honestly.

She shouldn't give him the satisfaction of what he needed, but it was the truth. It was presumably the fastest way with to get this all ended. The relief, guilt, and pain that Sookie's words brought to Fintan's face pleased her more than she cared to acknowledge. It would mean that she cared about him and his tie to her and she didn't. She couldn't. Her emotional tea cup was already close to overflowing as it was.

"What did—?"

"My turn," The Queen interrupted. "Why doesn't Eric know me?"

Fintan looked as though he was going to argue, but he must have known what it would mean. "It is difficult to understand and you seem more vampire so you will not follow with ease," He looked like the fact disappointed him, but all Sookie could do was interpret his words as though he was calling her stupid because she was vampire.

"I brought the Fae back from the brink of extinction and gave vampires immunity to the sun and silver."

"I created a dark faery and brought a vampire back from beyond the veil," He replied.

'_In your face_,' was the phrase that came to her mind. If Fintan had been anything other than a faery she would have called him a liar. When Sookie looked to Caspian she knew that her biological father was telling the truth.

"That is not possible. It's an inherent contradiction," Cas said. "There is no such creature."

"Dermot is my twin and he is that very thing," Fintan said. "Our mother was mortal and when she died, Monty lost his way. He was so angry that he began to entertain Breandan's madness about the Fae having no business with humans."

"Maybe they don't," Sookie inserted coolly. It wasn't something that she had ever thought of before, but there was ample evidence to support that point of view. "Caspian's mother, your mother, and mine, all human and all their stories are tragedies."

"The products of the unions are not," Fintan told her.

"I tracked my brother to save him. That exposed me to Lochlan and Neave. Monty fought them, and blocked me so I couldn't find him."

Fintan was definitely out of sorts without his brother present. Sookie was categorizing every move he made in the event she needed to use it. At the moment he just looked miserable unless this was a façade and it was best charade ever.

"They tortured him for days and it wasn't until his spirit was broken and his soul was passing unto the Summerlands did I find him. I refused to let him die so I forced him to stay in the world of the living with me. He came back as a dark Fae. Speaking of which, do not believe everything he says. He can tell lies and he does—often."

"Your story was sad, but not informative," Sookie said. "Why is it that Eric looks like he did, he even acts like his former self, but he doesn't know me."

"Try to follow and if I lose you, my love, tell me."

The term of endearment left Fintan's lips and went through the Queen like knives. They hit her ears like curses to a nun, like a traitor speaking words of her deepest, most forgotten thoughts. That was what Fintan was, but his words! So far his stories answered questions, but asked so many more. Just talking to him felt like an insult to her real father, Felipe. He had risked keeping a weakness close. He had nurtured, loved, and given so much. How was this not betrayal? Simple. It was about Eric.

The Queen nodded for him to continue.

"For many species the body is a shell, it houses life, the spirit, and the soul. Once life is lost those things begin to fade, not like a light being flipped, but like a trickle, and isn't until the last drop is gone that the connection to the vessel is completely lost."

"That was how you saved your brother?" Caspian asked.

Fintan nodded. "When I'd gazed at his mangled, breathless corpse, I could still feel his soul within it. When I looked at remnants of Eric I saw his soul remained. However, what I did for Monty would not work."

"Eric had already died before," Sookie deduced.

Fintan nodded and smiled as if impressed with her being able to keep up with his story. Sookie ignored him and he carried on with his tale.

"The pathways in a manner of speaking were worn down and the trickle was more like a gush. I saw a part of your soul leaving your body as you cried over his end."

He was staring at her with a look of sympathy. That night had been one from her worst nightmares. Those seconds that followed had been a stint in Hell and then the emptiness had come. He had born witness to it. It was enough to have her wanting to look away from him, but she refused.

"I had but a scant moment to work and I decided to turn back time. It worked…more or less. " He sipped his apple juice clearly stalling. Before Sookie could ask he spoke.

"What is your favorite thing to do?"

That was how The Queen spent the next two hours. All of Fintan's questions were paltry. He asked about everything from her favorite color to her favorite food. With everything Sookie learned about Eric, she was desperate to get to him. Fintan and his brother may have brought him back, but there was so much that they didn't know or could control once he came to be. They had admitted that they crossed so many laws of creation. In the life Eric had, the laws of this world attempted to right their wrong.

"It barred us at every turn, we wanted to go left, and it blocked that path forcing us right," Fintan said a look of mild annoyance on his face. "I wanted him to come back fully grown and vampire, even if his soul didn't occupy the same body. When I tracked his soul I found it in the body of dying human infant. We saved his life. We intended to watch over him for you, but the harder we tried to shield him the more peril he found. We placed wards on him that hid him from those who would do him harm and that shielded his mind. It gave him favorable odds in life and short of mortal peril we never interfered."

Anything could have happened to him and anything might have. Fintan didn't know and neither did Sookie. What had his life been like? Had he suffered? He must have. There was just too much understanding in him as she had talked about her fallen husband for him not to have known pain.

At least the wards afforded Eric some protection though because it explained why the Queen had had so much trouble locating him. Any search of his face or name turned up nothing. She had to retrace his steps and that led her to his door. Still the protection couldn't be that complete.

"That's why he hates vampires?" She asked.

Fintan rose from his seat. "That is a subject for our next visit, my love," Then he vanished!

Instantly Dermot appeared. He walked over to the same spot where his brother had been not even a second ago. Then he too, was gone leaving nothing but that telltale effervescent shimmer in the air.


	26. Chapter 26

Sookie was a Princess by blood and a Queen by might. She could deal with almost anything. She had endured a fate worse than death for so long. She had dealt with her biological father and she could most certainly handle breaking things off with Grayson. It was like a Band-Aid she supposed. One painful yank or day and it would only get easier, at least that was what she hoped. The flight time passed much too quickly. What were the odds of Her Majesty's jet being called early in the flight plan? The skies were prime flying weather too. She was in California much earlier than she would have liked, but there was no procrastinating on this. From what Fintan had told her Eric would need her to make the bond between them authentic. How she was supposed to go about it, she hadn't a clue. She could barely even focus on it at present due to the mess she had made in her hallowed state.

The jet touched down and Zee was out of his seat. Yes, he was still tagging along, but oddly his presence comforted her. He also knew something was bothering her so he was attempting to tone down his harassment.

"Just don't be yourself," The Queen told her brother. "I need this to go as smoothly as possible."

"I am charming," He said.

Sookie snorted a laugh. "Keep telling yourself that, you conceited ass!"

As they descended the steps he took her hand. "If he's important to you then you know you should have no concerns."

Damn it! Now Zee was also attributing the obvious in her to Grayson much like her father was doing. He hooked his arm through hers and they disembarked. The private tarmac had five black sedans. Anxiety that she couldn't explain descended, but she swallowed it. This would be over quickly. She scanned the cars attempting to gauge the one in which Grayson was waiting.

It was as if just thinking his name propelled Grayson out of his car. He emerged looking much the same as she did. His clothes were exactly what his cars and guards had described him being. He was just as tall and his hair was just as dark, but the smile on his face…it was something that the robot had missed when they had first met.

That look Sookie hadn't been able to decipher. It was the one that had come with Grayson's first kiss and their first goodbye. It was now evident; adoration. Grayson adored her and nothing could be worse. She told herself that she was a pessimist seeing only what she wanted to see in a situation that had already gone so awry.

That would be the worse complication ever. Surely the Hybrid King of Three didn't adore her. Even if he thought he did she was certain she could convince him otherwise. Sookie was holding onto that, and then Grayson vanished! Suddenly he was before her scooping her up in his arms. When he tried to kiss her lips the Queen turned her head into his neck, but he didn't seem to notice or care.

Meanwhile, Sookie was reeling over meeting two people in the same day who were just as fast, if not faster, than she. As Grayson held her tight, those thoughts left her mind. His scent wasn't real. She couldn't feel his heart beat, but knew that it did. The warmth of his body was absent, but she knew he was as warm as her. All the markers of his partial mortality were there they were just hidden by his amulet.

"I have missed you so very much," he murmured still holding her so close it hurt.

There was no response to that, but he didn't seem to care. The Queen just waited for Grayson to set her down on her feet once again. She hoped that look would be gone. It wasn't. It was somehow augmented while he gazed at her in wonder. This was not going to be as easy as she thought.

Sookie had been fine with disappointing him, but it wasn't until that very moment she realized she would be hurting him. The consequences of that weren't something she could calculate. She did not know him or how he would react. Most people would take money as restitution while others might demand blood. That was an unknown; an unknown that changed things. She didn't just need finesse, she needed information.

"How have you been?" She asked politely.

He smiled and kissed her lips. She didn't kiss him back, but she didn't pull away either. "Better now that you are here."

From behind her Zee cleared his throat loudly and needlessly. Happy to break free from Grayson's embrace she turned to face him and make introductions. While Sookie had moved and placed distance between them he just took her hand and kept it in his. Lysander and Grayson shared the customary vampire hello, a nod of the head, except Grayson added the spiel of being a male who wanted nothing more than to wed his sister. This was taking far longer than she liked and was getting out of hand.

"I have a request," Grayson said.

"Of course."

"Leave your people here."

Honestly, Sookie hadn't intended to go anywhere with Grayson. Her plan was to express her change of heart in the car before they even left the airport. No need getting caught in traffic after the fact. This aligned with that plan somewhat getting him alone.

"King Grayson, your request violates 'Section II, article IV' of the preliminary documents, which states that her Majesty's royal guards will not be prohibited entrance nor access to where their Queen walks and every step that she takes while visiting this state."

That had come from Eliza. She was her father's assistant because Dorian was with the King tonight at the Opening Day of The Games. Grayson smiled down at Sookie expecting her to grant him his request. She had been saying yes to him since their second meeting. Then it was because she didn't care one way or the other if she lived or died. She agreed now because she hoped the small act of kindness would make it better in the end.

The guards Zee's and hers as well as the two who had traveled with Eliza fell back. Grayson looked at Zee as if he fell into the same category as the others. He didn't and the King should know that or were full vampires the same to him? It was offensive, but Zee just smiled.

"Moonlight's burning," He called over his shoulder while he walked toward the cars. The drive was short even with Grayson talking about how beautiful California was and all the things he wanted to show her. He was entirely unperturbed by her lack of contribution to the conversation.

"We will be meeting my family," Grayson announced.

They'd stopped moving and she looked and found that they were in front of a beachside restaurant. It was as if someone had pressed that big red button that spelled doom on a disastrous level.

"Odd locale for that?" Zee chimed in.

"He doesn't know?" Grayson asked.

All Sookie managed was a jerky shake of her head. Grayson removed his amulet and the effects were instantaneous. His pulse could be heard beating in a steady languid rhythm. His scent and the color to his face were there for Zee to see. He did the last thing she expected. He let out a laugh and looked entirely relieved.

"This is why you've been acting so weird? I thought it was something bad," He replied. That explained why he was refusing to leave her side since she had picked him up in France.

"She was keeping my confidence," The King replied, giving her that look and kissed her head.

"Good, now that that's out of the way a drink to celebrate!" He clapped Sookie on the back while he walked into the restaurant as if he owned it.

Grayson followed pulling her with him. All Sookie wanted to do was scream for him to stop looking at her as if she his Earth. She wanted to pull her hand from his. How had things gone so out of control? How could she deal with this with any kind of dignity or grace? She didn't know, but she tried to stick to what she did and learning what she needed in order to make her extraction from her contract to Grayson as smooth as possible.

Dinner was a disaster and when Zee finally walked off she left with him with no plans on ever returning. Breaking things off with Grayson also got easier because she knew he couldn't fight her over spurned feelings. While he was the King the face there was a council made up of his whole family, his sister included.

Leaving California the most important thing Sookie learned at the end of it was an age-old lesson, be careful what you wish for. When she was a girl, she had wanted someone who was like her, a little vampire with a pulse, fangs, and if they were royalty that would have been perfect, but she had been completely alone. Sitting at a table full of people just like her should have been a dream come true. It wasn't.

"Those people are pompous pretentious shits!" Zee was fuming.

Sookie was tired and physically and emotionally it had been a long-ass day and was coming up on her twenty-fifth hour. All she wanted was to call Eric and have his voice be the last thing she heard before she crashed. While she and Zee walked up the stairs to the residential suites he was going off like a machine gun! That wasn't to say his ire wasn't justified she just didn't care enough to be angry.

_"__We pride ourselves on the distinction. It is vital. We are vampires, undead are undead," He mocked Grayson's elder sister, Elizabeth. _

"Then she lectures her son about control and restraint because he wanted a cookie."

The Queen rolled her eyes. "The entire time she's staring at you."

"What the fuck was that about?" He asked.

Sookie wished she knew. She had never met anyone with more respect for human life than Zee. Oliver was a close second, but Zee; he still shed tears for them. Even with the pain it caused him when they died he still befriended them with an ease no vampire his age should be able to manage.

"That one extra cookie would have made him an undead serial killer like the rest of us!"

"That's what happened to me," She joked.

"Honestly, Shy!" He snapped, stabbing his fingers through his hair. "If you ask me not giving him a cookie is what's going to do it, mark my words. He'll be raping and murdering bakers all down the west coast and they'll call him 'The Cookie Cutter Killer'."

Sookie laughed and despite her exhaustion and the late hour she couldn't seem to stop. Zee's rants, few as they were, were always classic. While her brother was still very much pissed he smiled. They had reached the top of the stairs where they would part ways, but Zee grabbed her hand.

"You aren't really going to marry him, are you? He would make you miserable…well, he would make me miserable, and I would make your life hell."

Leave it to Zee to make everything about him.

"No," she told him with a smile. "I'm not marrying him."

Even if Eric wasn't in her life Sookie couldn't be around people who looked down at the man who had raised and loved her or the brothers who defended him because his heart didn't beat. Sooner or later she would hurt someone.

"Good, because sooner or later I would have to beat the shit out of one those blustering douche bags..."

Sookie was laughing when she walked away, but she was still hearing Zee cursing out the entire royal family of California. The day had been long and draining, but as she laid her head on her pillow with Eric's voice mail playing in her ear all was well in the world.

The Queen awoke only after two hours of sleep. She was catching up on back-logged tasks, but she was also looking to talk to Eric before he left for work. She was in the middle of clearing all the things on FIN's To Do list when she heard Zee scream. It was a noise so foreign it forced her to push her body faster than she had in decades.

She was in the grand ballroom in under a minute. Before she saw him she caught his scent and she felt him as soon as she crossed into the other half of the estate. Eric was here, it was in the warm, glowing, comforting feeling in her veins. When she entered the room, he stood there watching Zee who was gaping at Eric as if he was the Grim Reaper.

"I didn't mean to startle him," Eric said.

"He's fine," The Queen grabbed her brother by the arm and proceeded to drag him out of the room. He didn't resist and he didn't really help as he was just gawking at Eric every second of the way.

She smiled at him. "I'll be right back don't go anywhere."

Sookie dragged Zee across the hall and watched as he freaked all the way out. He didn't say much. It was a series of, 'oh shits', 'oh my God', mixed in with hand wringing and pacing.

"You can't say anything, Zee please—"

"How is this even possible?" He asked.

"Be cool!"

"He's human?"

Sookie halted her response when she saw Eric in the door way. "Now is obviously not a good time—"

The Queen was beside him with his hand in hers. "Please, don't go."

If he left right then she didn't know what she would do. She had missed him. He was all that mattered. Seeing him had been the only thing she was looking forward to.

"It's fine," Sookie said, glaring at her brother. "You're good, right?"

Zee blinked and composed himself as best as he could. "I'm just having a very fucked up couple of days, so I'm a bit on edge. Please excuse me, won't you, Eric?"

"Sure, it was good to meet you," Eric said doubtfully.

Zee nodded heading for the door. He gave Eric a wide birth. "Likewise, now I am going to have a drink maybe several."

"That was Zee?" Eric commented, staring at the door.

"In the flesh," The Queen answered with a sigh.

"But it's the middle of the day."

"I have made vampires of my line immune to sunlight and silver."

"Oh," he said rather blandly.

Sookie took his hand and reclaimed his attention plus she really just liked touching him. "Hiya, handsome," She greeted.

He smiled while he wrapped his arms around her. "I'm sorry if I threw you by just showing up early."

"This is easily the best surprise ever."

"I missed you too. Plus I thought I would give myself an extra day or two to pilfer through the art gallery in this house."

The Queen jabbed the cheeky asshole in the ribs. He shook with silent laughter while he held her. They stood like that for a long time. For Sookie being this close to him made the emotional turmoil that had weighed her down hours ago feel like a distant memory. This just felt so right and she was at peace. The feeling of utter serenity was so deep that she fell asleep right where she was on her feet and in his arms.


	27. Chapter 27

When Sookie awoke Eric was asleep beside her. They hadn't changed positions really; she was still in his arms as he slept on his back. For a few minutes she just lay there basking in all the joy. So many times in their other life she had been in this exact position, but she had taken it for granted. She hadn't ever imagined going without it. To have it ripped away from her for so long she knew she would never be as happy as she was right then. She sighed knowing she couldn't remain there. It was well close to noon and she had missed several business meetings as it was.

The Queen's business dealings with her human companies were the easiest parts of her affairs. It was just as good because she was wholly distracted; her mind was on the man she had left in her bed. Sookie was wondering about his life. How would she ask him all the questions she needed answered?

In the few days that they had been separated she had spoken with him on the phone, but none of it had been heavy save her telling him about the Clarke case. Their conversations had been about each other's days. Once he mentioned the portrait he was working on for her the one for which she had originally contracted him. He was being secretive about it no doubt just to drive her crazy. Already he'd called her a know-it-all who couldn't stand not knowing. Talking to him was as easy as being with him; at least it used to be. There was just so much she couldn't tell him, but needed him to tell her!

There was only an hour or so until first dark by the time the Queen arrived back home. Zee was gone most likely not wanting to be in the house alone with a ghost. Sookie walked in feeling elated. If she was lucky she and Eric could have dinner and maybe sneak in dessert before she had to get to the candidate interviews for promotions. Bishop had already checked in the soldiers from Arkansas at midnight last night.

Thankfully, this estate was a quarter of the size of the palace in Oklahoma. Sookie could find her way around without trouble. She heard the strong heart beat that was now so familiar. The scent soon followed and she tracked it effortlessly until she heard his voice. Eric was in the bedroom, but she was quiet wanting to sneak up on him for no other reason to get a laugh. He was on the phone with another woman, his ex-instantly came to mind. Curious, she moved into the room and on the video phone was the last vampire Queen of Oklahoma.

No matter how many times she blinked the image was there looking at Eric. Freyda looked just as she had when she had been ripping Sookie's life to shreds without care so many years ago, except she was human. She looked…sad, not that Sookie gave a shit.

"I heard you're not eating," Eric said.

"Why should I?" she replied glumly.

"Because I got you an in to meet Lysander Adrianis."

"Liar!"

"Since when?" Eric challenged.

Jealousy Sookie hadn't felt for the unnamed-ex rose to the surface then. When Freyda began screaming like a little girl on Christmas morning, Sookie left. Honestly, that wasn't what drove her away; it was the look on Eric's face. He was happy and it wasn't because he cared about meeting Zee, but for her.

Sookie's temper was getting away from her. It was fueled by those months of sitting in Nevada and watching as she and Ocella abused Eric, forcing him to betray her confidence using edict after edict. Not to mention that more than once the bitch had tried to kill her, and then had come after her family.

Sookie had been doing a good job of regulating her emotions, but she didn't trust herself. This was just so fucked up! Freyda had stolen her husband when she had been a vampire Queen. Now that Eric was back as a human she was someone that he obviously cared about. That was so wrong. What else would Karma throw at her, at him, and them? Was Ocella running around here somewhere? It was just too much for her to handle at the moment.

She needed to get dressed for the night; she had the candidates to test for promotion. Every step she took was like a climb. It was a struggle between what she wanted and what she should do. What she wanted was to find Freyda in her weak human form and torture her until she felt what she put Sookie through so long ago.

_'__Think, don't feel,'_ Sookie told herself.

In her mood she hoped the candidates were as good as their generals claimed. She grabbed a bite and had ample amounts of blood to prepare for the night. She was avoiding the bedroom. Instead she headed for her study. It was first dark and the elder vampires under her rule checked in first. One of which was Axton, one of the sentinels that were watching over Molly Clarke in the hospital. He was asking permission to move her to a safe house in the area. A doctor had tried to kill her with a lethal dose of morphine. He had been glamoured and had nothing to offer. That solidified the vampire involvement.

"I need you to give me something," Sookie said. "I don't know who this is, but he is starting to cost me time."

Not to mention money. Axton had been one of her best, and paying him and his sister Akira round the clock was costly. The twins made most vampires uneasy with their closeness. They hugged and held hands, which was odd for the undead. They were not what you wanted to be up against in a fight. She had put them to the test against Sai and it had been close.

"Kira has a scent," Axton said.

That was good, but as she awaited the bad news it couldn't be that easy. The thing that was making this so difficult was that the Queen thoroughly vetted all vampires seeking citizenship in her state. It left her questioning her system.

"It is too faint for her to follow. She bagged it."

It would be uncontaminated. "I am sending the investigator and will be outsourcing the hunt to the Nevada Tracker. Maintain the chain of custody from Akira's hands to Heidi's."

"Yes, My Queen."

Sookie was glad for something to do. The first call she made was to Quincy Clarke to inform him that his daughter was going to be moved. As a precaution, the Queen had Ashley Bynum placed under guard. Someone was scared that she was getting close. All she had to do was wait. They would make a mistake. Next, Sookie checked the rotation log. Caleb was on duty and that was just too convenient. It meant that those friends with whom he had threatened Ashley with were real. So how far was his reach?

At some point Sookie felt more than saw Eric enter her study. He was silent, but her body honed in on his that such a thing would be impossible. He sat seemingly content to watch her work. She ignored him because with every phone call she made and every order she gave his desire rose. From her peripheral she saw how hungrily he gazed upon her. It was hard to ignore that, try as she might.

When The Queen finally turned to face Eric all thoughts of Freyda were forgotten. How was that even possible? She hated that female more than any other in the world no matter her species. Freyda had ruined her life and stolen her husband. Still, Eric was all she could think of, he was all Sookie wanted. He had been all she ever wanted. She had missed him. The anticipation that had been building demanded relief.

"Come here," he said.

Temptation, seduction, and desire, she saw it all on his face and heard it in his voice. She couldn't take it. There was just so much she needed to think over. She also had to leave.

"I have to go."

"Kiss me goodbye."

Eric never let her refuse him in bed. Rather he thrilled in turning her 'No's' into screaming and desperate, 'Yes's'. She could see in his eyes that this was one of those times and she was torn. She backed away and he rose. Sookie was the vampire, but she felt like as his prey as he closed the distance between them.

In a last ditch attempt to circumvent her capitulation Sookie blew him a kiss. He moved and continued to stalk toward her as he had so many times in their previous life. Eric removed his shirt and hungrily the Queen drank him in. When Sookie dropped her eyes she wasn't disappointed or surprised. She saw how hard his cock was for her. In his sweats there was no hiding the proof of his excitement.

Lust like all her other emotions wasn't one that she had felt, but knowing that Eric was hard for her? It made her mouth water. It wouldn't be her first time, but her body reacted as if it was. It burned and her already weak will trembled.

Angry as she had been about Freyda she wasn't angry with him, never that. He didn't remember her, his mate. How could she expect him to recall all the things Freyda had done to their lives? She couldn't. What she could bank on was what she could see and what she could feel. He wanted her as badly as she wanted him, he had missed her as much and there was nothing she would do but yield to him.

"Kiss me."

"Baby—"

His lips were on hers not tasting or testing, but taking and owning. Sookie knew she had lost and no one had ever enjoyed a more pleasurable defeat. She was powerful, but he held her as if she was just a woman that he was desperate to touch. Sookie was against the wall, her hands were above her head with one of his entwined and keeping her pinned. She writhed and moaned and tried to wrap her legs around his waist just desperate for more contact.

Eric was having none of that. By the look in his eyes Sookie knew that he would be merciless. There was this glint that when he was vampire would spell pain for his enemy, but for her, for her, Sookie knew that he would make her come so hard she would weep. She knew that he would fuck her so hard she begged.

"I missed you," He said, kissing the corner of her lips. There was chasteness to the kiss that belied all that she knew was waiting.

Eric claimed her lips again and with his thigh, he parted her legs. Could he feel how wet she was? By his almost pained groan he did. His hands were under her skirt and in her panties in a blink. All pretenses of trying to fight him were lost. That pragmatic, rational side that had kept Sookie operational was lost. She knew she didn't have time, but she needed him inside her in the worst way.

Eric caressed her intimately making her sex gush and ache to be filled. His long fingers teased her, but he didn't enter. He just watched her face as she fought not to lose her mind.

"I missed everything about you," Then his fingers invaded her.

It was like being under water or flying under the moon. He worked his fingers in and out of her the same time as his lips descended on hers again. Eric owned her body. It was a fact that had withstood the test of time. They'd spent years learning to pleasure each other's bodies. It appeared that even after the veil he remembered. All of a sudden she was desperate to put it to the test.

"I missed your eyes; your smile, but mostly your lips," He murmured, kissing the hollow behind her ear.

That was her 'spot' and he tormented her.

"I want them on me."

Sookie dropped to her knees. She unwound the strings of his sweats and had his cock in her mouth in seconds. Not for the first time they both moaned. Warm blooded as he was, the flavor of him was the same. Was it because he was her mate no matter the species?

Making love to Eric was what she felt she born to do. It sounded so tawdry considering all that she was, but how else could she explain her desperation to have him come in her mouth? Who else could bring a Queen like her crashing eagerly to her knees?

Their first time mere days ago in Oklahoma, the Queen had just been so consumed by the emotion of joining with him again in such an intimate way. Something, that thing that had been broken when she watched him fall morphed and she felt it as it became whole.

When Eric had made her come for the first time in decades it was all she could do not to weep and tell him how much she loved him. Unbeknownst, he was the first and last man that she had ever known. Sookie had felt as if her heart, mind, and body were forced back together just from him being inside her, claiming.

This was nothing but unadulterated lust. This time she wanted to see what she knew about him. Having his gracious length parting her lips, suckling him hard, stroking with her hands, massaging his tightened sac, using the right amount of teeth, it was both new and the same all at once.

"Fuck…I can't—"

Sookie sucked him harder. She thrilled in the power of making Eric moan. She luxuriated in the pained look of ecstasy on his face and his hands fisting in her hair. She reveled in making his knees tremble and the sound of her name pouring from his lips was like honey. She would have been happy to let him finish there, but he had other plans.

Eric pulled her off him and half-carried half-dragged her to her desk. In a distant part of her mind she heard so many things crashing to the floor, but she was too far gone to care. Sookie had been expecting that he would bend her over fucking her hard and fast, but he laid her on her back. It was clear that he wanted to see her face and she needed the same.

Eric gripped her waist and she eagerly spread her legs for him. Their gazes were locked as he slid into her seating his entire length in one stroke. Close, she was already so close. If his sexy smirk was anything to go by he knew it too.

"So quick on the trigger," He teased without slowing.

"Your fault…" she moaned. "You feel so fucking good."

He wrapped a hand around her neck not squeezing, controlling, forcing her to look at him as that superb moment came crashing over her. Lost to his skill and their passion she began squeezing her breasts and rubbing her clit forgetting how much Eric liked to watch her touch herself. She quickly remembered as he lost his mind and all restraint.

Her pleas for more, her moans, her screaming his name, only made him fuck her harder and faster throwing her headlong into one orgasm after another. When he turned her, bending her over the desk, it was both a mercy and the sweetest of torments. All Sookie could do was grip the edge of her once perfectly organized desk and try to hold on while he rode her mercilessly until he too found bliss.

"Don't touch me…" Sookie cried.

She turned away from Eric, her body too sensitive from his attention. In classic Eric form he didn't listen; rather he collapsed in her office chair and dragged her into his lap for an interlude of cuddling. The flashing on the monitor intruded on the moment. She had to go.

"What's on your agenda?" He asked.

"I have to go kick the shit out of a few vampires," She replied.

"Sounds interesting, can I tag along?"

She couldn't hide her shock. "There'll be vampires there."

He rolled his eyes. "Yes, I gathered that but they're your vampires and from what I saw you have them in check. I think I'll be safe."

"Yes, I do and yes, you are."

He smiled down at her. "I'm going to be with you so I need to get over it."

She kissed him, more than thrilled at the turn of events. Sookie had been worried that this hurdle would take longer to get over, but Eric in any form was a male that was full of surprises. It was something that she found herself more than grateful for.

Sookie and Eric got cleaned up and dressed. Then they were gone. The Queen left her guards to travel with Dorian. She and Eric drove in a separate car. While the offsite training center was full of vampires Eric watched from the observation deck. He didn't come in contact with a single vampire. She could explain Zee's reaction, but not if it was the same for every vampire he came across. Eric was many things, but gullible wasn't one of them.

"Remind me never to piss you off," Eric said as they left the center.

Sookie laughed. "I can remind you all I want, but I'm pretty sure it won't stop you."

His only response was an evil grin. Instead of going home they took to the French Quarter. Sookie had to throw on a hat and routinely make people ignore her face. Even with having to man that task, it was one of the best nights she'd had in ages. She hung on his arm as they walked much like every other woman who was out with her man. She didn't feel like a hybrid or a Queen. She was just Sookie and he was just Eric.

When the Queen woke the next morning she had eleven missed calls from Grayson. It soured her day immediately and the post-coital bliss that lingered from her night with Eric. She would deal with that later, but she wanted to check in with Caspian and schedule another meeting with Fintan.

"That doesn't sound good," Caspian said when she told him about Grayson both the visit to his state and his cluster calling.

"The meeting must have made clear to him that this is not a good match. I just need to explain it further and offer some form of restitution."

Caspian shot her a doubtful expression, but before he could say anything, another call interrupted. "It's Grayson, I have to go."

Before she answered the call the Queen composed herself, not with the robot, but with all the dignity and poise her father had instilled in her.

"King Grayson," She greeted. "Good day."

"I'd hoped you would calm and call me so I could apologize, but you didn't." That sounded like an accusation, but it wasn't a question and thus warranted no response.

"I know how Elizabeth can be. That was why I asked you to leave your people at the airport."

"Lysander is my brother and Felipe is my father. Having them being looked down upon is not something I can tolerate."

"I am sorry about that," He said.

"I am not. It made it clear to me that this is not a good match."

"That is not true. You don't know what you're saying. You're just upset with me."

Sookie didn't know if that was meant to be condescending or if he really thought that calling her decision emotionally-based would change her mind. It didn't matter. Once his mouth stopped moving she continued.

"Since the preliminary documents have been signed I am willing to offer you a generous settlement. I will send you a number. Goodbye, King Grayson."


	28. Chapter 28

Sookie found Eric seated on the floor in front of the television with the remote control in hand. Her first thought was that he was going through all the art work she had here in this home. He wasn't. He was looking at pictures of her life on the television. Everything there was had been made electronic years ago and he was flipping through it as if fascinated.

"Ancient samurai gear," he noted. "You were one interesting kid."

Sookie didn't know how he knew, but he looked over his shoulder and flashed her a smile from where she stood in the doorway of the den. The picture brought the memory. Oliver was watching her and took her to Japan where she got a cultural experience. Naturally instead of being dolled up as a geisha, she chose to be a warrior, double swords and all. She had forgotten about that trip. It had been short, but still. It had been a part of her life. It provided her with the perfect opening to ask about his life. She joined him on the floor and rested her head in his lap.

"What kind of kid were you?" she asked. "You probably got into a lot of trouble, huh?"

His faced closed off and he turned to look at the screen. "I was good, then bad, then worse, and then I grew up."

"That doesn't tell me much," She replied.

"There isn't much to tell. I didn't have my own race car, that's for sure." She knew what image he was referring to so she didn't bother looking up.

It was a marker of her love for him and not her maturity or natural temperament that Sookie didn't give into the irritation she felt.

"My life wasn't perfect if that's what you're implying."

He rolled his eyes derisively. "A father who spoiled you, brothers who protected you, a pony—"

"A mother who was raped and murdered," she interrupted. "I was three and because I was telepath I felt her terror, her pain, and his thrill as he snuffed out her life."

"Shit! I'm so sorry."

His hand came to her face and he peered down at her where she lay with her head in his lap still. "It's okay," She assured him, kissing the palm of his hand.

"No, it isn't. Even without knowing that I knew about your husband. I saw how badly you hurt. I shouldn't have been a dick. I just get defensive about that topic."

He ran a hand through his hair and expelled a deep breath before he spoke, "The only person that knew how I grew up is Freyda, my ex, because she was right there with me."

The name went through the Queen like knives. If not having seen it earlier, she might not have been able to maintain her calm. The irony of it was impossible to miss. Not only was Karma a bitch, she had a pretty horrendous sense of justice. How was this balance? How was this righting the wrong, bringing Freyda back? Sookie knew. She had seen the proof that the Witch Queen was reincarnated.

"I was adopted into the perfect family as an infant. No one knew who my birth mother was. My earliest memories were of my mother brushing my hair. She always had this proud smile on her face whenever I walked into the room. She called me her favorite little big man. For the first seven years of my life I was normal, the apple of my mother's eye; my father's pride and joy."

Karma had come to call. Sookie didn't know how she knew, but she knew that his happiness had been ripped to shreds. She held his hand and he looked down as if forgetting she was there, but then he entwined his fingers with hers as he continued.

"You wondered about me and the undead. They ruined my life, or rather my delusions about them did. I started having these visions; they started out as thoughts, over active imaginings, and then nightmares, and then finally full-blown hallucinations. I was convinced I was a vampire."

Sookie swallowed the lump in her throat, and it went down like a barbed brick. It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him everything. She could see then as the memory darkened his eyes and stole the smile that seemed to always linger at the corner of his lips.

"The nightmares were bad, so much blood, darkness, and violence. The thing was that it didn't scare me and that scared everyone else. My mother blamed herself, but as I got worse it became obvious it was me. My parents were ashamed. By the time I was eight, my mother couldn't cope anymore. She threatened to leave him if he didn't get rid of me. They dropped me off at a Psych Ward and never looked back."

Pity would be an insult to him. He had survived so much. Sookie knew that so she settled her rage on the people who had discarded their son because he was no longer perfect.

"You got better," The Queen said.

Eric nodded. "I got better the day I met Free. I saw her face and it was as if everything in me clicked and focused on her, does that make sense?" he asked as if worried he'd lost her.

She nodded her head. "Absolutely."

"Free was just the only thing that mattered. My parents not coming to see me no longer mattered, even on holidays and birthdays. It never did really. When they left me there I felt like I was waiting…for her I guess."

Eric was stroking the back of her hand with his thumb and she felt as his errant touch helped him relax under her.

"By the time she was seven-years-old, Free had tried to kill herself over a dozen times. The first time she was four and left the house in the middle of the night and walked right into ocean. It was the middle of winter."

Unable to help herself Sookie asked, "Why?"

He shook his head. "No one knows, not even Free. She was never depressed or delusional or abused. She told me that she just had to die because she didn't belong here, but we saved each other."

How messed up was it really that Free was with Eric long before Sookie ever knew he walked this world? She was his anchor, his confidante, his friend, and his lover. On the heels of that came the realization that Sookie could never touch human Freyda. She could never punish her for the crimes of her past life, nor could she ever let anything befall her. Eric loved her.

_'__Eric doesn't have to know.'_ Her inner vampire said. _'You don't have to torture her; you can make it look like an accident. Kill her quickly. It's more than she would have done for you.'_

Yes, but Eric would still hurt and that solidified Freyda's safety. A small part of her, the gentle part of her nature said that Freyda had suffered enough, in fact they all had. All three of them bore the scars that came with Eric's end. Sookie suffered emotionally, she became a robot. When he was reincarnated, Eric suffered mentally with visions of his past life ruining his childhood. Freyda suffered emotionally and mentally. How horrible it must have been for her as a child to feel the need to end her life, but having no idea why.

"We grew up together and got married the second she was of age. We went to University together. It was good, but when it was bad…"

He chuckled and shook his head. "It was bad. It wasn't until recently did I realize how unhealthy our relationship had become. I'd had to pick up the pieces so many times I never noticed her getting progressively worse. I grew in a different direction and left her behind. That was the beginning of the end."

"You love her," Sookie said.

"Yes," he said without pause.

It took everything the Queen had not to look as dismayed as she felt at that thought. Eric loved Freyda, but he didn't love her. He didn't even know her.

"When she's in good space she's one of the sweetest people you'll meet, save being a little snobby."

Sookie saw the look on Eric's face. His smile was fond and the look in his eyes teasing. He was no longer weighed down by the story.

"Between you and me I've got no idea where some scrawny girl from Cassleman gets off having a big head but, that's Free."

Sookie chuckled softly if he only knew all the ways.

Eric suddenly looked down at her with a look of concern.

"What's wrong?" The Queen asked.

"I just spent a good deal of time talking about my being in a Psych Ward and how much I love my ex."

Confused, Sookie stared at him blankly.

"You don't see anything wrong with that?"

"If you didn't love her after everything you guys have gone through I'd question your loyalty and I know that if you were still in love with her, you wouldn't be here with me no matter how impressive my art collection is."

He grinned down at her. "You're one wise old lady."

Sookie growled, but he only laughed then he dipped his head low to kiss her lips and all was forgotten.

Sookie had cleared the next day to spend with Eric; it was the day he was originally scheduled to arrive. Downtime wasn't a concept she thought she still understood, but it took Eric about an hour to show her what it could be. At home they watched the qualifying match-ups of the Games. They swam in the Olympic pool. Eric still proved to be a much better swimmer than she.

"Would sex feel better if I let you bite me?" Eric asked.

They were lying on the floor of the walk-in closet atop a makeshift sheet made up of their discarded clothes and pool towels. Going out for food meant getting changed and when Sookie got naked Eric all but ravaged her right there.

She chuckled. "If sex got any better I would need an intervention."

He gave her a classic Eric eye roll. "You are hiding your fangs."

Oh. So he'd noticed. With each blinding moment of ecstasy she found when he was inside her, the vampire in her rose to the surface. She was losing control of her fangs with every sexual encounter. She fought it knowing she couldn't bite him as she so desperately wanted.

"You have a bit of vampire…allergy," She pointed out.

"I like you and if you wanted to bite, I would let you."

Temptation, it lay bare. He was offering her what she wanted, but then the actuality of it settled on her and with it came anxiety. She could hurt him.

"I don't bite humans or anyone actually."

He eyed her skeptically. "Why?"

Sookie knew that he wasn't going to leave it alone. She had tried so many times before in their past life together to know when Eric couldn't be deterred. This was one of those times. She sighed because the real reason was so very embarrassing. He was going to laugh at her she just knew it, but that didn't keep her from telling him the truth.

"I learned how to bite, but it is not my preferred mode of blood consumption because my fangs aren't as long as that of full vampires."

The Queen was watching her lover's face and instead of any apprehension or disgust that had been so prevalent during his first days with her she saw curiosity.

"Show me?"

She wrinkled her nose. "It is very bad manners to flash fang."

He shrugged. "So is swimming in the buff."

Her face flushed because they'd done that. Having no other choice Sookie let her fangs down and opened her mouth.

"I think they're cute," He said after a moment.

Oh, brother! Sookie thought dismayed. "That is the last word any vampire would want used to describe their fangs."

Eric grinned and pulled her on top of him. He traced her lips with his index finger. Even without looking down she knew that he was ready to go again. There was this look in his eye that spoke of everything he wanted to do her.

"I want you to. I want my blood inside you," He frowned as if the thought shocked him. "The thought of you biting anyone else seriously pisses me off."

He certainly looked it.

"Possessive and jealous much?" She teased, kissing him.

"I prefer sharing-impaired," He replied unabashed.

Sookie laughed at his shamelessness and fell fully into his arms. It was strange because Eric, when he had been vampire, had taught her how to bite in a way that suited her. Unlike when she was a teenager who had no interest in biting being in bed with him gave her more than ample incentive. She just had to remember. His scent was like a drug tasting hers on his skin was an aphrodisiac.

Their bodies got away with them quickly. By the time she was riding his cock biting had been forgotten until he made her come, and then the hunger rose and she didn't have to hide her fangs. She didn't have to smother her urge to mark him. She didn't have to. It was strange because she didn't like human blood, but she wanted his.

Eric was close and he sat up and wrapped his arms around her, slowing her pace and quickening her hunger. She delayed until the precise second she felt him spurt in her, and then she sunk her fangs into his neck. He gasped in a way that spoke of the sweetest pain and most profound pleasures. His hands gripped her waist tighter and pulling her closer, he filled her with his seed.

His release was enough to send her over the edge again, but what did her in was the taste of his blood. It was a potent blend of all her favorite things as his scent alluded. To have it pouring into her mouth made her head spin and she couldn't help the moan that escaped her. Taking just a sip was the hardest thing she had to do in a very long time.

Sookie stayed where she was as they both caught their breath. The puncture wounds were neat, but blood trickled. She licked the remnants of blood away, which Eric took as an invitation for more sex.

"We have to eat or we'll kill ourselves in here," She said.

His only response was a sexy smirk. Sookie ran before they could get carried away again.

They ate together and slept through the night in each other's arms. They walked the French Quarter and even ventured into swamps of the Bayou at his behest. They made love anywhere and every time he blew her mind. This was what forever should be. It was picture-perfect.


	29. Chapter 29

"Forgive the intrusion, Your Grace." FIN called.

Sookie looked up from the movie she was watching with Eric.

"This movie sucked anyway, FIN. What's up?" She replied.

Eric tickled her side and she screeched and rolled away.

"This is a classic," He inserted.

"I don't know what's going on just that there are special effects, hot guys, and half-naked chicks."

He grinned at her. "Like I said, classic."

"Lecher," she teased. She pounced on him, but lost the fight. She was pinned under him and it wasn't for a lack of trying.

"Ahem…" FIN called. "Your Grace?"

Sookie smiled as she kissed Eric and rolled out from under him. "I have to go," She murmured into Eric's still parted lips. "FIN wouldn't be cock-blocking otherwise."

"Indeed, cock-blocking is not one of my functions."

Sookie and Eric laughed at the sarcastic Holo.

"When will you be back?" Eric asked, refusing to break his hold on her. It took all she had not to give into the desire she felt. There was something more important, she didn't know what, but she knew it was there like all her other obligations.

"As soon as possible."

Eric held her tighter and kissed her thoroughly before finally releasing her. Sookie rose, but her mate was there sprawled on the sofa of the small den close to her room. It went without saying that he looked like all things delicious. She left with every intention to return almost immediately. That was before she saw the reason why FIN had come for her.

"Daddy," She greeted.

The King of Nevada was in her grand reception area. How had Sookie missed the abundance of void minds? Be that as it may, she ran into his arms.

"Hi."

"Mija?" The King said much too politely. He returned her embrace, but not fully. It was clear that he wasn't happy with her.

"I missed you."

Hand in hand, they walked into the parlor that would give them the most privacy. Nim and Sai followed.

"What's wrong?" Sookie asked him.

"Grayson," replied the King. "He called me. Imagine my shock when he said my daughter had broken off her engagement."

Oh.

Thankfully, Zee chose that exact moment to come in from rehearsals. He took one look at Felipe and hid behind Nim. Sookie would never call her brother a coward, but that was a real bitch move. Then again, she knew that he was already in trouble. He wasn't willing to take on additional heat, not for her or anyone else.

Felipe didn't seem to notice Zee, his eyes were on her. The most powerful vampire Queen wanted nothing more than to shrink back, not that it would do her an ounce of good.

"I had to look complicit instead of ignorant, though ignorant was exactly what I was, still am actually," The King said. "So tell me, Shy, what have you done and why did you feel the need to keep me out of it?"

"I love you, Daddy. I don't want you to be angry with me."

Sookie saw the King's face fall. As the slight frown lines creased his face she saw that while he looked no older than her, he was tired. He closed his eyes and she knew that he was pulling on his last vestige of patience.

"The last time you said those words to me I gave into emotion and banished you," He told her.

"I'm sorry," Sookie said. The pain of that fight and the separation wasn't one that she had forgotten till this day.

"Just tell me the truth, tell me what you have done and I will protect you always."

So Sookie told her father the truth. Telling him that the hybrids of California looked down at full vampires would be useless. He must have noticed and just didn't care. Instead she gave him the truth. The Queen told her father about Eric and she saw the doubt on his face though it never showed in his eyes.

That was until she replayed the image from the security footage. If she had been expecting Felipe to be as discomfited as she had been or as confounded as Caspian she was wrong. The King looked at the footage in such a dispassionate manner that it made her wonder if he was seeing the right recording. As he watched she explained all she knew to date.

"Fintan reincarnated him, this is Eric," She reiterated. "He is himself and he makes me feel like me even though he's human."

"So what? You think this is why you should discard marriage to The King of Three who also happens to be a Hybrid just like you?"

Sookie was stunned into silence. The video had been her proof. It would prove that she wasn't crazy. It had worked with Cas. She never thought that her father would ignore it.

"It's Eric," She implored. "He's my mate."

Felipe growled and the menacing noise speared her into silence. When Sookie looked up the Desert King looked nothing like the calm vampire whom she had always known.

"Can one of you please get your sister because…" Felipe words faded into another ferocious, wordless growl, and he had left English and gone into Spanish. "I can't—"

"You said—"

Sookie took a step forward, but Nim came forward and placed a hand on her shoulder. It wasn't restraining. It was comforting and warning. He nodded his head toward a chair and she took a hint and waited for her father to calm down. Felipe came to sit across from her. She locked eyes with her father. His were searching and hers were beseeching.

"How is it that you do not see?" The King asked. "You, the most brilliant mind I have ever known in almost nine centuries. How is it that you don't see something so obvious?"

"I have already charted the course," Sookie said. "I know what I'm doing. I just need you to hear me—"

Felipe growled and it silenced her, especially when he ran one hand over his face. The other was waving for her to stop.

"Your plan is so obvious and so flawed that you may as well have written it on your face. You think you will win Eric and by your level of arrogance it is clear that you are succeeding. So you have begun searching for Pamela. If you cannot locate her you are going to search for the tamest vampire there is so that you may forge a 'Maker's contract' for Eric. That is considering he wants to turn for you."

Sookie didn't mean to let her insecurity show but it was plain as day. "I am going to take that as a maybe at best," Felipe continued.

"He is the same as he was. He just needs time," Sookie told her dad.

She was already desensitizing him to it. He offered her his neck. By the time Sookie would be looking for Eric to turn he should be over his fear completely. That was all she had to worry about, him.

"And then what!" Felipe yelled.

Sookie was startled. Her father had never raised his voice to her. After her heart stopped trying to leave her chest and after the shock wore off she gazed at him in question and seeking his guidance.

"Even now," The King said, staring into her eyes, "You do not see, do you?"

The question wasn't rhetorical. It wasn't metaphoric. Her father waited and he never took his eyes off her face. Sookie shook her head.

"No."

"Eric cheated death as a human and returned vampire. He cheated The Reaper again and returned as a human. How many times to you think a single soul can pass though the eye of death and return whole? What do you think his odds of rising again will be if a turn is attempted?"

The horror of it hit her like a battering ram. If she wasn't frozen by the shock it may have had her sinking into the chair. Instead she sat ramrod straight feeling like an idiot because this wasn't just obvious, it was denial. Fintan had all but told her.

_"…__in a manner of speaking the pathway is worn." _

Sookie had just been so desperate, so eager, and so happy to have her chance at forever that she had miscalculated. She tried to recalculate her plans. Everything Fintan had told her none of it had hinted to Eric being anything other or turning into anything other than human. Did he even know? Did he also realize the folly in the spell he had cast that he would give Eric back to her only for her to lose him again?

Everything she knew of vampire magic weighed in tipping the odds further against Eric. How had she not thought about this, covered these bases? She had just been so wrapped up in having him with her again that all she wanted was to keep him. What had felt like a second chance to right all that had gone wrong so many years ago now felt like nothing but furthering the worst torment. All the air seemed to leave her all at once and she slumped in her seat.

"Give me a number," Felipe said mercilessly dogging her.

"I don't know," She lied.

"I will accept your best guess," He insisted.

All she could do was shake her head. She couldn't answer him. She couldn't accept what she was hearing. She sure as hell couldn't put a number so unfavorable and attach it to Eric's life.

"Give me a number!" The King snapped.

Tears clouded her vision as she told both of them the truth. "With the perfect conditions there is an approximated fifteen percent success rate. If it is an emergency turn and he is unwilling, it drops to three percent. Both numbers present a large window of unknown adverse effects to his psyche."

"Fifteen percent," Felipe repeated. "Even if you are willing to take those odds with his life I am not willing to do the same with yours; I have seen first-hand what will become of you if he dies."

The hollowness that had evaporated since the day she set eyes on Eric again had been forgotten. The robot was now nothing but a tool she used when she felt like it. She slept, she ate, she smiled, she laughed, and she loved. To go back… Fear gripped her at the mere thought. Not just fear, but terror. It was so profound that it brought her father kneeling in front of her with her face in his hands.

"I'll find another way," Sookie said, blinking back her more tears. "There is always another way."

Felipe said nothing. Sookie searched his face and she couldn't read what she saw.

"There has to be," She insisted.

"I say this to you not as your father, but as a fellow regent who wants to see you prosper; use Eric. Use the time you have been given with him and try to forge something with Grayson. When Eric dies there might be something between you and the King of California to keep you from turning into…"

His jaw clenched as if he couldn't say it. It was clear that she wasn't the only one who was afraid of that fate. She may have lived it, but he had suffered it with her. They were different prisoners yet serving the same sentence.

"I love Eric. I have always loved him," she whispered. Her voice was so small and so defeated that she barely heard herself, but the King did.

"What about me, Shy? Do I not have your love?"

"I love you, Daddy," She placed her hands over his where they cradled her face. "I love you, always."

Felipe kissed her head before bringing her into his arm. "You are my daughter. I have to protect you, even from yourself. Even till this day and after all these years you cannot fathom it and you will never be able to appreciate my dedication until you have children of your own."

She saw as the King smiled a sad kind of smile. All Sookie could do was hold him closer in an effort to absolve him of the pain that she knew he was feeling but refused to show.

"I am begging you, marry Grayson, and try to build something with him. I know you don't love him, but for me this isn't about love or souls. It isn't about mating, it isn't about an alliance or power. It is about my daughter's survival, and it lies west with Grayson, not here with Eric."

Sookie said nothing, but Felipe knew that he had made his point. He knew that she would agree. He rose and backed away.

"I believe in your ability to do the impossible. If you find another way, then I can have no say, for you are a Queen and your will is law," but he was her father and Queen or not, he would do what he thought was best for her.

Returning to Eric hadn't lost its appeal, but the weight of all that he didn't know, all that she didn't know, and all that she feared was right there with her. It was its own separate entity in the room as she pretended nothing was amiss. She tried to enjoy every second that he was with her as he was set to leave tomorrow. With every second she spent, she couldn't help but wonder how many he had left.

"What's wrong?" Eric asked.

It was late afternoon and Sookie was driving him to the airport. She felt like Eric had caught onto her mood, but she didn't want to give him an opportunity to ask. She knew she wouldn't lie at least not entirely. All morning the Queen had used her brother as a buffer. She even sat in on the call as Zee called Freyda.

Even with her warning Zee almost lost it, but rallied, smiled, and talked as if Freyda never tried to murder half his Line. Watching Freyda be so happy while she was wrought with worry was more than she could stand, but it was worth it. The entire time Zee talked to her Eric couldn't seem to stop smiling, and when she laughed he all but beamed…yeah, Karma, or creation, or whatever was a real bitch. Some of her irritation at that showed as she answered his question.

"You are mortal, you wouldn't understand," Her tone was cool, but cutting.

"Explain it to me until I do," His tone matched hers.

"Would you become a vampire?" She asked.

"Where is this coming from?"

That wasn't possible, but by the shock in his voice it was clear that he wouldn't have been willing. It was clear that he was and it ate up the last of her patience. "You are going to die."

"Do you plan on killing me?"

"I can't go through that again," She said. "I…can't."

The memory of the hollowness caused fear to slither down her spine. It was as if it was at her back and waiting to consume her. Sookie gripped the wheel of her sports car so tightly that it creaked, but it didn't stop the shaking in her hands. Eric reached across the console and took her right hand and closed it in both of his.

"I can understand that and your question is fair. I get that, but it isn't fair to ask me to make a decision like that based on fear; yours or mine."

No. It wasn't fair, but life hadn't been fair, not to them. "I want to be with you," and it seemed like that was the one thing fate didn't want her to have.

Eric kissed the back of her hand. "I feel things for you that don't even make sense to me, things I've never felt for anyone. So yes I want to be with you, too, but that's all I can tell you that I know for certain."

Eric kissed her goodbye as he boarded his charted jet. She watched his plane take off and cried with every mile that separated them because there would always be too many. When she got back in her car she called in every resource she had; regrettably that list began with Fintan.


	30. Chapter 30

**This has been a long time coming believe me, it has been a long time in the making. I can't apologize enough for the wait but the wait is over. The ending is here...Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!**

* * *

**Chapter 30**

"How is that you didn't cover this eventuality?" Sookie fired at Fintan. "Just how half-witted are you? I mean, really?"

"Don't talk to my brother that way," Dermot interjected.

All of a sudden the faery was right in her face before his words had fully sunken into her, "Everything we did, we did for you, so showing a little gratitude won't kill you, but I just might."

"Gratitude?" Sookie asked calmly. "You two don't even know what you did, how you did it, nor the effects it may have on him."

"I have already explained this," Fintan said. "We couldn't control or foretell everything. In every single grain we used to make him what he is the law of this world added its own. We couldn't prevent that no matter how powerful our magic."

Fintan came over and pulled his brother out of her face, and over to the other end of the room. Dermot went, though his eyes remained fixed on her and it was clear he wanted nothing more than to put her though a wall. Honestly, Sookie wouldn't mind a full-on, bare-knuckled brawl. It would eat away at the fear, the uncertainty, and the hopelessness that welled in her gut.

"So this is all "The Universe"?" She retorted, waving her arms in the air, gesturing wildly. "From where I'm standing it appears as if you didn't think this through, not that it's the first time."

"Sookie, that is enough," Caspian said.

It wasn't nearly enough. The pained expression on Fintan's face gave her some comfort. He was finally hurting, too, "I was trying to help you. I gave you the one thing no one else could."

Freyda, the woman who had such an instrumental share in Eric's demise had returned with him. The former Witch Queen was no longer hardened, neither witch nor vampire. No, Freyda loved Eric and he loved her. They'd been together for years before, and the two faeries hadn't thought it worth mentioning to her, either that or they were ignorant to it. She couldn't decide which was worse.

All that would have been bad enough, but adding in the mental issues both Freyda and Eric experienced was what finally set her off. Freyda was so terribly disturbed that she remained housed in a residential treatment facility and Eric believed he suffered from delusions! He had spent his entire life believing there was something wrong with him, and then taking care of Freyda.

Worst out of all this mess, Sookie would have to watch him die again. Whether it would be the slow decay of time, an accident, or cancer, she would have to watch him die, and then…then there would be nothing but the void awaiting her.

Her voice had been calm and her expression cool, but it slipped when the memories of the hollowness began to plague her. It added a vicious edge to her words, "Did you really think this botched job could wipe your ledger?" she spat. "All you have done is further my torment, yet you wonder why I want nothing to do with you! You destroy everything you touch!"

Fintan flinched as if she'd struck him and his eyes filled with tears.

"I'm going to hurt you," Dermot said quite calmly.

Sookie saw why he was the protector. Rows of sharp teeth accompanied all his signs of aggression. The air unexpectedly became too thin and vibrated violently. The scrolled markings that branded him as a dark Fae glowed blue on his creamy skin. Fintan reached for his brother, but suddenly, Dermot was already gone.

Caspian grabbed hold of Sookie and tried to vanish with her, but she pulled free.

When Dermot grabbed her by the shoulder, she was ready. She head-butted him in the face to break his hold then she spin-kicked him into the wall for good measure. Rather than crash into it, he kicked off it, and came barreling back, tackling her to the ground.

Sookie heard Caspian calling for her to stop. She heard Fintan screaming at his brother to do the same, but she was too far gone to care and apparently so was Dermot. All she cared about was hurting him because she couldn't hurt the true source of her suffering. The Queen had been expecting Dermot to fight the way most faeries did, disappearing and reappearing to avoid head-on combat.

That wasn't at all the case. Dermot gave her just the kind of fight for which she had been looking. As they crashed through the terrace doors out onto the porch, Dermot paid her in kind for the head-butt, placing his hands tightly around her neck. Once they hit the ground, she used the momentum to break his hold and kicked him off of her.

"You are cruel just like your whore mother! All you do is cause my brother pain!" Dermot yelled, and then he was right back in her face.

"Good!" Sookie spat. "He fucking deserves it!"

Dermot came at her harder. He was faster, but only by a hair, and she was stronger physically. The Queen tried to enter his mind, but that electric barrier that protected Eric's mind was there, only it was ten times stronger and just brushing up against it made her head throb and her vision blur. Dermot took advantage of it. He had her pinned to the ground with her arm in a lock and his booted feet on the back of her neck.

"Apologize to your father or I will break your arm," he ordered.

"He is not my father!" Sookie yelled.

Sookie's ability to fly was new. She could levitate comfortably, but the higher up she went the shakier it became. In this instance she didn't need to go far. She flew into the air and spun out from under her feet. She flipped her body, freeing her arm, and kicked Dermot in the chest. They weren't that high in the air so when he began to fall, she perched herself on his back ensuring his landing would be as painful as possible, but at the last second he vanished from under her!

The faery had her in a headlock, and it was clear he was going to knock her out because given the difference in their height, she was nearly a foot off the ground. Trying to fly wouldn't work. He was too heavy and would dig his heel in. She sunk her fangs into his wrist and pulled sadistically on the puncture wounds. He released her, but not for long. They collided once more, this time tumbling on the ground, exchanging more blows and venomous, hateful words.

Water fell in a deluge. It was enough to have her sputtering and coughing, trying to get it out of her nose and mouth. It wasn't until she saw Dermot doing the same beside her did she realize what had just happened. Someone had dumped ice cold water on her and Dermot as if they were two hissing cats. How offended could she be? It worked!

Sookie sat there looking as undignified as a Queen possibly could. She was battered; knuckles bruised, head throbbing. She could feel the blood trickling from her many cuts, the worst of them a gash over her right eye. Her nose and her lip were bleeding, swelling, not to mention that her left eye was already swollen shut. The Queen looked up and saw her childhood friend standing over her with a large bucket swinging from her hand.

"Zee called last night, said you might need me."

That stopped the fight. It was hard to rekindle that blind rage sitting there, soaking wet. Sookie had burned all her hot adrenaline in the fight. It was only those frightening emotions remaining along with the physical pain. She got up and went into the house with Cas helping her. Fintan went to his brother and the two followed back into the house at a further distance.

"Stop moving!" Cas ordered.

"Then stop hurting me!" Sookie snapped.

He was trying to tend to her injuries and she was trying to remain still, but part of healing so rapidly meant more pain. Her nose was broken and he had to quickly set it before it healed incorrectly, needing to be re-broken, and then set once more. It put her in a piss poor mood. It wasn't at all helpful that the faery who had injured her was directly across the room being tended to by his twin. She glared at him and he glared right back. There was definitely some unfinished business there.

"Don't flash your fangs at me!" Cas retorted mercilessly. "I told you not to fight him. Why else do you think Colman and Niall couldn't use force with you? He _is_ known as 'Dermot the Madman'."

That information came just a little too late, not that it would have made her back down. Sookie said nothing while he continued to dab at the wounds on her face. There was a pack of ice taped to her side as well as her right arm. She needed blood, she had it, but it was bottled, not her father's, so it would take longer to heal.

Amelia stood halfway between the Queen and the dark Fae. Sookie knew that the witch was there to keep the peace. What was it with him and witches anyway? The way Dermot looked at her was enough to have Sookie wanting FIN blow him to Kingdom Come.

"Leave!" Sookie ordered. "Get away from me and never come back!"

She didn't trust herself not to give into her emotions again and she just couldn't afford that. Her fight with Dermot had cost her enough energy and, more importantly, it had cost her time and that was the one thing she had so little of, the one thing she couldn't buy.

Fintan looked at her and there was no hurt. The look on his face was one of grim acceptance.

"If that is what will make you happy, I will go, but I have to tell you that I loved your mother. I loved Michelle. I never knew about the son or husband she abandoned. I saw her…and I wanted things I never wanted with any other woman…a home, perhaps a child. She wanted her appeal to be unrivaled."

Dermot hissed, the noise had the Queen flashing fang, and Amelia looking forward, "Because she was a fucking-"

With a single glance that Sookie couldn't decipher, Fintan silenced his twin, "I thought she was only worried about losing my interest, so I agreed, easily. I gave her what she wanted, and then she ran away with my child and I will never know why. Everything I have ever done since that day she stole you away was to get closer to you. That is my truth. Now, I am lost. I do not know any other way to make you love me. I do not know how to make you see how much I love you."

After his little speech Fintan vanished, taking Dermot with him. The Queen looked at the place where her biological father and his brother had been, and still no positive emotions came to her. She just let her eyes stare at the space until they lost focus, until the effervescent shimmer they left in the air began to dissipate.

Hurting Fintan with her words hadn't made her feel any better about Eric's future or hers. The bloody fist fight she had engaged in with Dermot no longer eased her inner turmoil. It was settling there in her chest, and she felt as if she was about to be crushed to dust and drowned by it.

Sookie looked up at Amelia, but the Cardinal witch betrayed no emotion. If not for the many years they had spent together, the Queen wouldn't be able to see the question in her eyes. Amelia had aged gracefully. While Sookie's soul was lost and her emotions gone, Mia had married, had four children, and gained more power in her craft over the years. She wasn't just a witch; she was a Senior Cardinal witch.

It went unspoken that Sookie couldn't share in her friend's joys over the past quarter century. It hit her doubly hard that her best friend as a little girl was more than halfway through her life expectancy. It wouldn't be the first time, but seeing the proof of Amelia's mortality made the Queen think of Eric. She would have to look at his finely-lined face one day, and as she would have to with Amelia, she would have to bury him too.

"Maybe we can get together with the faeries after tempers have calmed," Amelia said.

"No!" The Queen said. She infused her voice with all the command her body lacked at the moment. "I don't need them. They've helped enough."

Amelia glanced at her as if she was out of her mind. "Do I not have the proper information?" She asked.

Sookie brought her up to speed. By her calm expression, nothing she said was news to the witch. Zee had obviously given her a detailed explanation of the situation where Sookie found herself now.

"I can't even pretend to fix this," she declared.

"You are the most powerful witch I know."

She may not know many witches, but she had heard Amelia's name in the world of the Supernatural. She had become the "Go to" witch. That wouldn't be the case if she hadn't proven to be powerful.

"There must be something you can do," The Queen argued.

"I think it is because you have done so many incredible things that you can't appreciate that it's not the norm for the rest of us."

Amelia came and sat at the table with her, "This is magical, but it is completely different. Imagine me giving you one of my halfcocked potions that's going awry, and then telling you to fix it with things in your lab, and with no direction at that."

Zee was down in the Grand Reception area. He said nothing, but Sookie knew her brother had been awake as long as she had. He must have heard the fight, but hadn't stopped it because it was personal and neither she nor her opponent had been fighting to kill. There had also been too many faeries for him to resist, so he stayed away.

Zee wasn't saying anything now because he had no answers. He sat beside her and took over the first aid duties from Cas. He added his blood and that helped with the pain, but he was too young to speed her healing. The Queen wasn't focused on that. She hung on Amelia's words.

"You have to know something," Sookie implored.

"I know this is beyond me," Mia said. "I definitely know that shit. Reincarnation is not even a subject for a Supreme Witch, it is that complex. The ones who dabble in it are often dark, and their prices are steep."

"I can afford it; I'll pay them whatever they want."

Amelia shook her head and ran her hand through her hair, pushing the dark locks from her face.

"Dark witches don't deal in money; they deal in the flesh, blood, the spirit, or the soul. For instance, one might keep him here, but he'll be a mindless corpse. Another might demand that he trade his first born for eternal life. If they want to mess you over truly, they'll preserve his life force while his body decays. These are just scenarios that I've read about in the books."

"Mia, you have to know another way, maybe through some other witch or daemon. There has to be something!"

She shrugged, "The Salem witches are the most powerful Coven. They are tightlipped with their knowledge, but I'll let them know you're desperate and liable to come knocking."

Sookie nodded because desperate was exactly what she was, "Tell them I will kick their fucking doors down."

"I've missed you," Amelia said.

"I missed you more."

Sookie found it hard to meet her eyes. This was a woman with whom she had grown up, but she had missed so much. She knew the demographic facts about her. Amelia's husband's name was Bob. Her eldest child was Paige, a girl who rivaled her in power, not focus. The other three were boys, Paxton, Parker, and Payton. She knew the facts, yet the Queen hadn't connected with her friend in so long.


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31**

Sookie was patched up and in bed with Zee waiting for her ribs to knit back together. Her brother held her hand as he had when she was a kid, and he had been the only one who knew she was terrified of thunder storms. Her brother said nothing. He just held her hand. Cas however; was full of things to say.

"You can be such a bitch!" he spat angrily.

"Cas, leave it alone!" she ordered.

Her face hurt. Dermot had a hell of a right hook. She just didn't have it in her to argue with one of her only friends in the world.

"No, Sookie, that is your problem! You think that just because you can, you should, and when you can't, you act like this!"

She couldn't believe he was doing this right now!

"So all of sudden I'm a tyrant and a brat? Why? Because Fintan's feelings were hurt?" She fired at him.

"You're defending him as if he's the fucking victim! You've always defended him, yet you know that he has never been there nor done anything for me, not until now, and he fucked that up too! I don't even know if I'll able to fix it!"

"I am defending you!" he yelled right back. "My thoughts of Fintan have always been about you, you blind, fucking vamp asshole! My God! Deny it all you want, but you know he would give you anything if you let him! He has tried! Maybe his methods sucked, and maybe he failed, but he tried! You willfully ignore his efforts because you are intent on punishing him!"

"Whatever!" she said. "If you feel that strongly, you can leave too!"

Zee squeezed her hand, but the anger-fueled words had already escaped. Instead of leaving, Cas told her off some more.

"You want to go there, do you? Fine," Her best friend looked more menacing than she thought possible for such a handsome, carefree Fae. He was going to let her have it. She braced herself, but even then the blow hurt.

"You want me to get lost because I'm telling you the truth, but do you forget when there was no one there, but me? When you were broken because you loved someone so much that him leaving you almost killed you? I remember."

Sookie couldn't meet his eyes. She could recall the details of how much the grief of her divorce had crippled her body and broken her will. She remembered the emptiness and listlessness, but she also remembered Cas. He had never left her side, his words, his touch, and his refusal to give up on her even though she had given up in herself. She was ashamed, not because he had been a witness to her disgrace, but because of her words.

"I remember the part you played. I watched your love turn into something ugly and twisted. I remember how you turned around and fought the man you loved! I remember how you ignored his pleas to appease your pride; you refused to give him the one thing he told you he needed to feed your ego!"

The pain of his words cut deeper than anything she had experienced in so long. He had been the only person to whom she had confessed that deep regret. She had trusted him to keep it always. Why was he saying this to her?  
"I say this because I know how badly you regretted that one thing. I know you would have given anything to take it all back."

He looked at her as if searching her face. He must have seen what he was looking for because he calmed considerably.

"That is what Fintan lives with, Sookie. I see into him and his pain…it is too much, and all I can think of is you. I am afraid. I am afraid that even if all this works out and all that you hope for comes to be, but Eric remembers everything, he may never let you forget. His reincarnation wouldn't be a blessing then, would it? It would be your hell. You would serve it in the same prison as Fintan."

It took everything Sookie had, but she didn't flinch or show any emotion at the horrific thought.

"Do you see now what your eternity would be like if that one mistake was used to judge you forever? What your life might be like if the one person you loved most in all the worlds never let you forget that one mistake, that no matter how sorry you are or how much pain you were in over it, your pain is still all they desire?"

"It won't come to that."

The thought alone made her stomach turn, but she pushed the reflex aside. Cas was wrong. How Fintan had failed as father wasn't at all the same as she had failed Eric.

"I can't even think about that. I just have to focus on figuring out another way. I'll send word to Niall and find another Cluviel Dor," she replied.

After all, the Fae had been repopulated; surely there was another of those precious stones to be found. Even if a single one remained, she would find it and claim it in order to keep Eric with her.

Cas looked at her as if he was about to start yelling again, but he just shook his head as if she wasn't worth it.

"I love you, I truly do, but I don't like you right now."

Then he was gone.

The Queen grit her teeth as tears stung her eyes. She wouldn't cry. Tears were useless. She needed a plan. She needed to look at other options. She got out of bed, called Saul, and told him for what she was searching. Maybe there was some trinket, amulet, or something that he could procure for her.

Next the Queen put out a contract out on Pam. So far her attempts at finding Eric's vampire child had been subtle, she needed more aggressive means. With Pam turning Eric, the odds of his survival rose, not much, but better than fifteen percent. Sookie summoned Claudine and gave her a message to pass to Niall. One of her angles would have to pan out. It was a waiting game and as the hours passed, her thoughts turned dark as her hopes dwindled.

_'__He wouldn't even consider moving to be close to you. What makes you think he'll turn even if you find a way?'_ Her mind taunted her. _'He doesn't love you. He will never stop loving Freyda.'_

First dark was near and Sookie had heard nothing from anyone. The Queen sat in her study fighting tears. She had to attend a game tonight. Texas had beaten Florida and tonight they would be playing Indiana. She couldn't look anything other than perfect and calm. She needed to have her wits about her. She couldn't afford to cry. When her phone rang showing Eric's number, it was more than she could handle. She bypassed the call and didn't listen to the message he left.

"Hello Shy-ra," Zee said from his place at the door.

It wasn't until then she realized that she wasn't alone. She smiled as best as she could, but it felt so wrong, so taut, that it was all she could do to keep her face from cracking.

"Hey Zee, are you coming with me to tonight's match?"

He smiled at her, but his was knowing and more than a little sad.

"You are so like your father," he said, coming to sit on her desk and facing her. "Both of you are control freaks."

The Queen could no longer meet his eyes. She couldn't keep her stiff upper lip. She could do nothing except let the misery she felt show on her face.

"I can't, Zee," Sookie murmured. "I can't go back to that thing..."

The thought alone made ice creep into her veins.

"I know it was hard for you, Daddy, Cas, and Amelia…God, she didn't even let me around her kids, but for me, Zee, it was worse than Hell."

Sookie rubbed her chest as the memory of that hollowness rose. She just couldn't shake it completely. It was if it wouldn't leave her alone because it knew it would return someday into the core of who she was.

"It was as if I was in there, in that pitted-out shell, and all my memories were screaming at me. Daddy couldn't help me, and no one could hear me, not even my conscious self, the abyss was that deep. I wanted out so badly and I could never break free… I can't go back. I'd rather die."

"Do not say that," he said. His tone was mild, but as firm as she had ever heard it. "You'll break your father's heart."

"I'd rather die," she repeated. "That was not living, not for me or the people who once knew me and loved me."

Zee looked at her, and then his face folded into a smile, "Caspian was right. When shit happens that you cannot control, you become so desperate to control it that you don't consider why you want that control. When you get scared, you get like this." He cupped the right side of her face in his hand. "It's weird to see people that are so rational get so black and white in their thinking that it makes them crazy."

"I am not afraid," Sookie asserted.

"I know you, Shy-shy, and you are terrified, but there is no need to afraid. Eric has been back with you less than a month and you expect him to move in, play your pet, and just accept whatever you come up with to elongate his life. That's psycho chick shit."

She hadn't even thought of that. There had just been the fact that Eric was back and she wanted to keep him. Their love had transcended death and time… Okay, she was the only one who knew that, so her brother's assessment seemed rather appropriate. Her timeline might be unreasonable, but the danger wasn't.

"I never knew him as a vampire. He was a legend long before I was ever born, but that doesn't even align with any man I know you'd choose to be with."

No. It didn't. It wasn't.

"I want there to be another way. I don't want you to marry Grayson, he just… His family sucks burnt blood and ashes, like really hard, but I also couldn't imagine your end."

Despite all her heartache, the Queen chuckled. Zee was just that kind of person. He could make you laugh on your way to the gallows and you wouldn't be able to help it. He smiled at her, and she saw the face that had picked her up when no one was looking, when she had been charged with finding her own inner strength to pull through.

Zee had been there when her father had drilled her too hard on her lessons and she wanted to cry, but knew she couldn't. He would get into trouble and she would no longer be the focus. Then before she knew it, she would be in some villa or penthouse suite with him allowing her to do whatever she wanted.

"What I'm trying to say is that you have time, so do nothing because you clearly don't know what to do."

Sookie went to the game and when Texas pulled off another win, she gave the appropriate responses, polite applause, and smiles. Zee sat beside her, and, to his credit, he wasn't being his usual self and she knew how hard that was for him. Texas was looking stronger than they had in the previous games; their QB Caesar was a natural. He navigated the field as if it was built for him.

The Queen had heard rumors of an upset of these games from the info her father had gathered at the betting polls. Plenty of people were betting on Caesar, but this was the first she was really seeing it. For a qualifying match, there was a hell of a turn out. It had been the same last year, and, even after the letdown, it seemed his fan base and odds had risen. Stan was also in the seats, cheering during every second of the game as if he didn't have a state to run!

Sookie attended the after party not because she was expected, but because she couldn't stand to return home and wait for bad news or no news. The championship was approaching and that was the pinnacle of the games. While she was out, Eric called again to wish her goodnight.

The Queen listened to the message with her eyes on the moon and her heart yearning for the one man whom Fate was going to deny her. It wasn't very late, but his night was already ending, the same as there wasn't much of it time left if she couldn't find another way. Zee's words were in her ears, but it wasn't any easier said than done.

Sookie would never admit it, but the fear that her brother had alluded to ruled her. She didn't want to go back to that thing that couldn't feel. That was the fate that awaited her if she didn't find another way; it was either that or marry Grayson and hope that when Eric... She couldn't even finish the thought. It made her a coward she knew, but compared to the hollowness, the King of Three was more than desirable.

Sookie cut his message short and returned to the after party. Stan and his starting lineup were the focus of the night's attraction. She didn't enjoy it, but that wasn't the point. She just needed to take a break from her thoughts, her emotions, and her past. This vast room full of empty faces was the perfect place to forget it all. When moonlight waned and the vampires departed, she did the same. The sun was just on the horizon when FIN announced a visitor. It was Niall.

"It has been a long time," The Sky Prince greeted with a nod of his head. Then his eyes fixed on her as if he could see everything.

"There is only one person who could have healed you," He surmised with a bemused shake of his head.

Sookie nodded and explained the situation. "I need another Cluviel Dor," She stated.

Niall looked at her as if she was an idiot, and then he must have remembered that she was more vampire and human than Fae.

"In my eleven-hundred-years, I have seen that magic only four times—"

The Queen felt literally sick to her stomach. She wanted Niall to stop talking, but he wouldn't, and as the words penetrated her ears and computed in her mind, her hope only continued dying.

"It takes several decades, innate talent that cannot be thought, and sheer power. You also forget that it is a thing created from love for love, so even if someone possessed one I promise you that it will not be for sale, not at any price."

"There has to be something else!" The Queen said.

Niall rose. From one royal to another Sookie knew that he was putting an end to this conversation.

"Elongating the time we have been given in our physical bodies is an idea the Fae find appalling, hence our aversion to vampires and my horror at what Fintan did to the creature that was once my son."

"You named me an ally to your people if ever I was in need. My life depends on this. You have to help me!"

"Then you must find another way, for there is nothing I know of or possess that can provide you with what you are asking. I am truly sorry."

There was no questioning his words then. What Niall had said had been the unequivocal truth. Amelia called hours later, but Sookie was still sitting in the same place where she'd had her meeting with Niall.

"It's not good…" Amelia began.

The Salem witches couldn't help, not without risking Eric's soul and his life. Niall couldn't help. Fintan had been nothing but the architect of her suffering. Her vast intellect was useless as well. Saul was her last hope, and the odds of that were so low that her spirit and her hope were all but broken.

The Queen sat there, and as the sun rose and exhaustion set in; she was forced to accept the truth. There would be no happily ever after for her. At best, this second chance was a way for her to attempt to find a middle ground. Maybe if she did as her father asked and married Grayson, she could still have half a life. That was better than dying, and the shell of a person to whom she knew she would revert.

Sookie could bear the children she'd promised Grayson. She would love them even if she didn't love him. Eric would move on, maybe he would go back to Freyda, maybe not. All that mattered was that in the end when Eric left this world, her life with Grayson would be enough.

Sookie sat there trying hard to heed her brother's advice. She tried so hard not to give into despair. She tried not to give into the fear of which Zee had spoken. It consumed her as she slept though. When she finally slept close to noon, it was restless. Her dreams were dark and consisted of her greatest fears, fears that she had already lived; watching Eric die and being absolutely powerless to stop it.

At the end of that dream, Sookie didn't wake; rather she sank deeper into another nightmare. The hollowness had descended upon her. It devoured her, and, this time, not even her loyalty to her Bloodline survived. She had seen them all from her father to Zee as weaknesses to be exterminated. It was then that she awoke in a cold sweat. The Queen woke with Galleon and Otto at the foot of her bed, looking hostile.

Unless her guards jumped into her head, there was nothing for them to do. FIN was right beside them and the message of her elevated stress patterns. She had slept through the warnings. Her nightmares had been that consuming.

"Leave me!" The Queen ordered.

Oddly enough, Galleon was the most obedient. He turned on his heel, but Otto lingered a moment longer. His eyes were on her and she wondered what he saw. She didn't ask, and he finally bowed and left. Sookie lay there trying to get her thoughts in order. She couldn't feel, she also couldn't think. There was nothing for her to do.

"Incoming call from Grayson Iain Eldridge II," FIN announced. "Should I accept?

For Grayson to have been announced this way meant that her father had given him the codes that would override her voicemail systems.

"Yes."

Maybe that was what it was to be a mated, powerful Queen who had everything her heart desired. Sookie had to live with falling short by an inch of the one thing she wanted most, when it had never mattered more. The Queen resigned herself to a fate that she had spent more than a quarter decade fighting.

"Grayson," she greeted. "Hello."

The Queen employed the robot. She plastered a fake smile on her face as if to convey joy she didn't feel. Her father had been right. It wasn't about love. It was a matter of her survival and Sookie didn't want to die.


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32**

After Sookie ended her first call with Grayson she felt so…empty. It wasn't like the same hollowness that she had been living with and feared would return. This was different. Her words had been polite and fake, so were her smiles. It seemed to make Grayson happy, but all she could think about was Eric. She felt not just faithless, but hopeless as well.

The Queen told herself it would get easier the longer she lived the lie. Still, even nearly after a week had passed, each time she had contact with Grayson, it was just as devoid of a spark as it had been that first time. She did her best to push it from her mind as she prepared for the night's game because she wouldn't just have to talk The King of Three on the phone. She had to see him. He invited himself to a game and had pretty much left her no choice.

In all the years that she had been doing this, this was the first year that Sookie could fully appreciate what was happening. So many vampires were present. There wasn't a single regent the entire world over that could draw so many others out of their comfort zone. They had all come to her games. Those whose teams had made it this far came for a chance at sharing glory. Others stayed though they had been beaten, and many more came as spectators. Sookie had the best seat in the house.

She did her best to ignore Grayson. It wasn't easy. He had her hand in his, and he didn't seem to mind that she hadn't said a single word. Sookie finally had to ask herself just how different was her indifference now from her numbness when they had first met? She came to realize that it was not much.

Grayson was seeing her the way he wanted her, not for what or who she truly was. How sad was it that she wanted to do the same? She was trying, she truly was, but attempting to force compatibility while fighting the determination of Fate was challenging.

With all that she had, the Queen was trying, but for every quality that she found in Grayson to like, and there were many, none made a dent in her devotion to Eric. It didn't matter that he was a human who didn't want to turn. Even with her father's words in her head, Sookie couldn't make her heart choose Grayson no matter how badly her head wanted it. She then chose to do something useful, such as focus on the game.

It was so close that Sookie felt her pulse racing with anticipation. She inched forward in her seat. Sai, who had been cursing all evening, was now eerily quiet. It took Sookie a second to realize that her big brother was a New York fan. No wonder he had been in such a shit mood! New York Manhattan and Dallas were neck-and-neck.

Both teams gave it all they had. The survivor in Sookie respected that. The Queen in her knew who had cheated, or rather prepped before, and that was Manhattan. How likely was it that two of the top players of Dallas suddenly came down with a case of Sino-Aids? He was pale even for a vampire and had to be sitting there through sheer will power.

The one match where she had seen him play was enough to have Sookie wishing he hadn't been foolish enough to fall for whatever ploy had benched him. So far his team was holding their own. They'd beaten Florida two nights ago. It hadn't been easy, but tonight was shaping to end differently.

Caesar had been watching in stony, furious silence from the bench tonight. However, now the star QB was up and prowling the sidelines, the predator in him evident. When his replacement took a vicious tackle, it seemed all was over.

Still, the Cowboys were living up to their name. They were all battered, and many had broken bones, but they had played their hearts out. It was as if the humans could see it. Maybe they could because they and they alone were raising the noise in the Dome to deafening volume. The Dallas vampires seemed to be feeding off of it.

The charge became electric and Sookie felt it too. She could argue that she was feeling everything more these days, but that wasn't the case. It was her telepathy and she opened the gates to the emotions of the crowd. This was history! It was such a tangled mixture of hope, excitement, and reckless anticipation! The Cowboys used their last time out. The announcers and covering analyst were discussing possible plays overhead when Caesar came out in full gear.

"What is he doing?" Grayson asked, pulling Sookie from her thoughts.

"I don't know," she replied earnestly.

The humans made themselves known. They chanted Caesar's name. He leapt into the stands and that section of spectators rushed forth for a chance to touch him. One of the reporters stuck a microphone in his face. A hush fell over the crowd as they waited to hear what he would say,

"I've been so many things, but nothing beats this, right here, right now. In my blood and in my undead heart, I am a muthafucking Cowboy!"

The speech was worth the fine. The humans lost their shit and he gave them another bow! Sookie wanted to doubt the wounded vampire, but he looked as if he had already won, probably because he had riled the crowd and rallied his team beyond anything than a simple victory could. Their elation, sheer joy, and awe were such that she had to place the shields on her mind or they would have swept her away! They already were, in fact, she hadn't noticed Grayson's hand in hers.

"That fool is going to get destroyed," Sai commented with an evil anticipatory grin.

It was the first time that she saw what this meant, not only to her vampires, but vampires and humans overall. Where else, and at what other time, would a vampire sacrifice pragmatics for heroics?

"Don't bet on it," The Queen contended.

One thing about vampires was they wanted to test their mettle. They were always down to test that. Caesar, with his words, had done something that they could not. The stadium exploded, it was no longer just humans who were devout to the Cowboys. The elite vampire teams, like Louisiana and Kansas, with wins under their belt were on _their_ feet applauding.

Caesar leapt off the balcony and when his team returned the field, he was right there with them. They bled for every yard they gained. Caesar played with everything he had, and even when it was clear he had nothing left, he found more. The undead Cowboys won, but it was by the skin of their teeth, after which Caesar had to be carried off the field.

"That was exciting," Grayson said as if he was surprised. "I enjoyed it!"

Sookie was feeling the thrill of tens of thousands, most of whom were human. They filled her mind, and she grinned at him.

"Are you kidding, who didn't?" She agreed, hooking her arm in his. "I can't wait for their matchup with Kansas."

The winner would play the vampires of her state for the championship. The vampires of Sookie's state were good. It could be because they had created the sport for their kind, but in twenty-five years, they had won three out of the four games to date. The Tri-State Warriors had only ever lost to Kansas, and depending on their game in two days; they would face off again for the title.

Every tournament another team got closer to both teams. This year both teams might become totally unseated. It wasn't because they were getting weak, rather vampires were taking this more seriously and were devoting as much time to practice as they could afford, even if they didn't live in a Republic.

Sookie was walking out of the stadium. She and her guards had their formation. Grayson stuck close to her and his guards stuck close to him. Her father traveled with more people and that was just a show of his status, not so much a sign of his need. With a polite goodbye, Felipe left Sookie alone with her intended. The amount of fear and trepidation that she had forgotten during the games returned. Being alone with the King of Three was the last thing she wanted.

"Come back to my rooms or invite me to yours," he said, invading her space with his hands on her face.

Sookie wanted to pull away, but her mind and self-preservation worked against her. Truly, no part of her wanted to risk going back to the robot. If it meant suffering the touch of one man while pining for another, she was willing to deal with that, at least until she found another solution. She was a coward, she knew, but she was a coward who knew the meaning of Hell. She just didn't want to go back, she couldn't.

"I want to go slow," she reminded Grayson.

That had been the lie she was telling him and so far, it was working although negotiations for their marriage was still going full throttle. Any and all acts of sabotage she committed to slow the process wouldn't be for Ollie's benefit as she had planned. It would be for her, to buy herself more time. What she could do in that time? She had no idea.

Grayson nodded, but his disappointment was evident in his eyes. Sookie had to wonder if that was an expression with which she should just get familiar. If this was the male she ended up with, she would have to get used to disappointing him. Bleak, her eternity, if she looked at it from that angle, was so bleak. She couldn't allow herself to dwell upon it. She wouldn't last these few days in Grayson's company. She would hurt too much, miss Eric too much, and certainly despair much too much.

"I have to go to the after party," The Queen said. "If you wish, you may accompany me."

Grayson smiled down at her and it was that smile, the misplaced one. He was seeing something that she couldn't. Rather, it was something that she feared was non-existent. She knew that she would never look at him that way, no matter much time passed or how hard she tried.

"I do not do well in the company of the undead," he said.

Sookie looked at Grayson's guards; they all looked as though they had been feeling every second they'd spent in the Superdome.

"You will be safe with me," she told him.

Grayson smiled. This time he leaned in to kiss her lips. Sookie didn't kiss him in return, but he didn't seem note her lack of contribution.

"I trust your words, but I prefer not to tempt Fate," he told her. He leaned in and kissed her head. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Grayson," Sookie faked her best smile and it seemed effective.

He smiled back at her and left to go his own way.

The Queen didn't attend the after party, nor did she return to the hotel that served as the residence of all the vampires and their aides during the games. Instead she went home. She wanted her bed, but even more, she wanted to lie in the bed where she and Eric had last made love. To lie in that bed brought memories and wants that she told herself she would never sate.

The more time passed, the harder it became. Before long she was dialing the number and waiting with baited breath for him to answer. When the line connected, it was both a source of comfort and pain. That didn't make sense on any level, but that was what it was to love Eric, no matter his species.

"Hello, Queen girlfriend," he greeted.

His voice alone would have been enough, but it was his smile as he looked at her from his bed that made her ache to the point of pain.

"Hiya, handsome."

For a few beats they only gazed upon each other.

"I'm sorry," she said.

He would never know just how truly sorry she was for everything, their past, present, and the uncertainty of the future. All he did was smile as if he had forgiven her long before the apology ever left her lips. She had ignored his calls, but he hadn't taken that as anything to do with him, regardless of the way they left things. It could have been arrogance, but she thought that he just knew her and he proved it.

"I know. I also knew you'd call when you were ready to stop being a jackass."

Sookie laughed, and then just as suddenly she felt like crying. She couldn't. Instead she did her very best to hide her pain, but he noticed. She saw his brow knit and his eyes narrow.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

How could one man make her feel so unlike what she was meant to be? Sookie didn't feel like a Queen. She didn't feel like a hybrid or a vampire. She just felt like a woman who was desired by the man of her dreams. She was lying already. She was deceiving, trying to ensure her survival already. She couldn't help but tell him the truth.

"I miss you," she confessed. "I wish—"

Her throat closed as Sookie swallowed tears. This was as close as she could ever risk getting to him. These emotions of longing and unfulfilled desire were all she had to look forward to because she was sacrificing the one man who could make her happy for the man that could save her.

"…I wish I could be where you are."

He smiled at her, and it wasn't cocky, sexy, or content. It was new to the Queen, and it wasn't until she read the expression on his face did she see his longing for what it was.

"Me too, but I can't come to you for another week or so," he told her. "I'll see you before that though. I'm going to watch the Games."

"Really?" She asked somewhat shocked.

"Yes," he said with a laugh. "Admittedly, it's just a way for me to ogle you in real time from the comfort of my own home. I'm in the process of moving."

"How is Nat taking it?"

Eric sighed. "She vacillates between disowning me and helping me decorate my new place." He replied.

Sookie laughed, and it was the first time she had been happy since accepting Grayson's call and agreeing to host him. Eric just made her happy. How horrible was it that he was the one person who could destroy her in a way that nothing and no one else could? That wasn't enough to make her cut the call short. His words were like a toxin that she wanted to infect her very soul. As she settled into bed she realized how tired she was, having his face on her video call and hearing his voice was so peaceful.

Sookie had fallen asleep on Eric not for the first time. He had left her a very detailed message about her phone etiquette that made her laugh once she had awakened. In the same message, he asked her to come and see him if she could.

Sookie should deny Eric. She couldn't. More to the point, she didn't want to. The Queen had chosen to try to make something of her eternity that didn't involve hollowness or death, and that involved leaving this human alone. She couldn't, though she tried. It was Saturday and there were no games until Sunday. She could be with him if only for a little while. It would further her torment, but he was worth that, and so much more.

That afternoon Cas met Eric. Unlike her brother, her best friend kept it together. He hadn't even alluded to the fact that he was pissed at her. He certainly got along better with Eric this time around. Cas was polite to Eric, if only a little cold to her.

When Sookie had called Cas begging the favor, he had dropped her off and hours later, after she had made love to Eric more times than she could count, he picked her up. Cas was silent, and a silent Cas wasn't something with which Sookie was at all familiar.

"I'm sorry," Sookie said after he brought her back home. "You were right and I was being…me. I don't want you to be pissed at me anymore, Caspian."

"I am not angry with you, not really," he said, coming to wrap his arms around her. "At your core, you are not human or Fae but vampire; I forget sometimes."

She smiled against his chest and just held him closer, "I'm sorry that your best friend is a stubborn asshole sometimes."

"I am not, I love her," he murmured. "I just worry that she's too smart and too powerful for her own good at times."

When they pulled apart, he was smiling down at her, "You still have to bribe me with food though."

Easily the best day she had all week!


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

Kansas lost to Dallas. The upset was so unexpected that it blew the betting rackets of hundreds of thousands, at least according to her father. Sookie didn't gamble, but if she did, she would have put her money on Dallas. There was something in Caesar that she wished like Hell she had. It became obvious as footage of his match up with Kansas was replayed over and over again.

It was stunning news, but there was so much more on her mind; lying to Eric, knowing how much she wanted to be with him, and then trying to build something with Grayson on the side. At the bottom of it all, Sookie felt like shit. None of her other avenues had panned out. There was no way to make Eric immortal like she was.

Every day Sookie had spent trying to force a spark with Grayson killed something in her and clouded a lifetime with Eric. The inevitability of her choice was bearing down on her. Any time with Eric was better than this lie, this half in-half out relationship. Her father was right it seemed. Eric was going to take her from him again.

Sookie looked at her reflection in the mirror as the team of stylists disappeared. She was perfect. There wasn't a single strand of hair out of place. Her dress bore the colors of her banner; a banner she hadn't chosen when she ascended. She hadn't cared to. Her father had chosen it for her, not so coincidentally it was the colors of the monarch butterfly.

The uniforms worn by the Tri-State warriors were the same. The insect was also her crest. The monarch butterfly was on the badge of every soldier. She wore it on a pin above her left breast. The Queen's differed from the others because she was still of the De Castro line, and so the badger of her paternal line had its wings.

Her dress was silken lace that clung to her. It was short and sensual, but the black lace overlay kept it classy. Her heels were black and added six inches to her height. Her hair was wound high atop her head. She looked incredible, but she felt the opposite. Her only thoughts were if Eric was watching as he promised her he would. She wondered if he thought she looked good in the dress. More than anything, she wondered if he would read her proximity to Grayson for what it was.

Grayson. It was as if thinking of him brought him right to her. Sookie could hear his voice as he checked in with her guards. Dorian came in and fastened on her jewelry for the night. Then they were off. The Queen couldn't help but want to cringe at the way Grayson looked at her. It wasn't lecherous or scary, it was adoring and lustful. How much longer could she continue this charade? Not long. She also couldn't make a choice.

Sookie was amicable, polite, and pleasant as she could be to Grayson. That, too, was getting harder. No matter how detached she made her politeness, he seemed encouraged by it; then again, he hadn't been deterred by the soulless robot she had been not too long ago. Other than clear uncut aggression, there was no nothing she could do to make him take a hint. When the National Anthem was sung and the game began, Sookie put Grayson out of her mind, even though he was by her side separated only by her guards and his.

The Queen focused on the game. It was their first time in the Championship and the Cowboys were proving themselves. At half-time the Tri-State Warriors were only ahead by seven points and five yards. Again, the combined excitement and anticipation of almost eighty-thousand people infected her as the halftime show began.

_"__Ladies and Gentlemen, Lysander Adrainis,"_ The emcee announced.

It was as if a spell was cast over the entire Dome. The stage rose and the lights dimmed. The Jumbotron was replaying interviews from teams and fans since the tournament began. Sookie watched, amazed. Truly, she had never thought of her games as anything but a great revenue source. She had been too devoid to see what it did for humans and vampires, how it brought them together.

"I don't like vampires," One stern-looking human man said. "They ain't right, I tell ya!"

The reporter smiled a bit, bemused because the man was wearing Caesar's face on his shirt, "Caesar is a vampire."

"Caesar is the best damn quarterback the Cowboys ever had. He is just that, a Cowboy, period, stop splitting hairs! Ignant'!"

The spectators, human, vampire, and other all laughed. The clip on the screen cut to Caesar as he gave his speech before entering the qualifying game, wounded as he had been.

"I've been so many things, but nothing beats this, right here, right now. In my blood and in my undead heart, I am a Muthafucking Cowboy!"

The clip cut to Thalia, Captain of the Tri-State Warriors. She was wearing her signature scowl along with her full form-fitting uniform. Most the vampires on the Louisiana team were impassive. It was their angle because they had invented this, without them setting aside their differences once a month decades ago, none of the vampires would be here now.

They were silent and arrogant. They were fined for not talking to the press, for never signing autographs, still, that didn't change a thing. Their only saving grace was Clancy. He answered all the questions for his team. The last clip was of his interview latest interview.

"As a player who has won three championships and placed in all four Games in the history of the Games, do you think the Games have changed you?"

"Not at all," Clancy replied. "We are what we are and nothing can change that. The Games are a rare opportunity to test our mettle. It force us to dig so deep. With every broken bone that brings us closer to the cup, we live."

Sookie recognized the girl who was his mate. She was by his side, except she was now vampire. The look of pure love on her face hadn't changed. She still looked like the same high school cheerleader who had turned Bon Temps on its head by going with a vampire.

"Then you remember that living, it hurts, it is hard. It is in that moment that our vampires rise. It is in that moment that our moment comes and you are forced to choose. How much pain can you take? How deep is your resolve? How bad do you want that Cup and how much of yourself are you willing to give for its glory? These games don't change shite, mate, rather they strip it all away."

The screen went black, the music cued, and all that was left were Clancy's parting words that echoed in the Superdome.

"When it's all over, all that is left is the truth of who you are. That, and that alone, is what decides the victor."

This was The Queen's favorite song from her brother's many albums. Not once in her whole life had Sookie seen the beauty in what Zee could do. He could sing, sure, but if not for her inner turmoil, she wouldn't have been able to see and feel just how easily he was able to arrest a crowd.

Sookie heard his voice before she saw his face and it was enough. In his all-white tux, he looked like an angel come to serenade mere mortals for an approved amount of time. His hair was curly and glistened under so many shining lights. Sookie was breathless with anticipation just as were the many thousands of others in the crowd.

_"__When all hope is lost, I wish you wings so that you may fly high," _He began,_ "If all else fails, I never will. When everybody else runs, I wish for you stand tall because right beside you is where I will always remain…" _

The voice of a freaking angel, were the words that came to the Queen's mind. How had she forgotten the beauty of it? Zee had his hand over his heart as he bowed fully to Felipe. Sookie knew without looking that he had once more gotten out of trouble with the King of Nevada. Being a genius was good, but having that get out of jail free card was priceless.

By the end of Zee's performance, the entirety of the Superdome was on their feet. He was just that damn good! At some point between singing about being immortal and victory, he had shed his tux jacket to reveal his crisp white shirt and blood red suspenders. It was his only set and Zee wasn't even singing anymore. The united voices of tens of thousands were singing his classics. He levitated to the box seats. When her brother reached for her, Sookie didn't hesitate. She moved off the balcony with him and hand-in-hand, they descended to the stage.

"She can rule but..." Zee said into his microphone, "can she dance?"

Her brother could have opened his mind, but he knew damn well that she did. Not one to be outdone, Sookie shrugged her shoulders and waved him on. As the bass and the beat took over, Sookie kept up with her brother. It wasn't easy, but together they made all his backup dancers look so bad. Nothing else mattered. Eric wasn't on her mind; neither were Grayson, her father, nor her future.

All the Queen felt was the rhythm as she danced with Zee on stage and she didn't care what it looked like! She was having so much fun! Sookie was laughing uncontrollably. The set ended. With the roar of almost eighty-thousand people on their feet, it was deafening. The Queen let her shields slip intentionally and it was amazing! Where else in the world would there be so many likeminded people in the same place? It was like everyone was thinking the same thing.

_"__Got you, bitch!"_

That thought was singular. In this mass, it stuck out, but was so vague in its location. By the time Sookie caught on to it, it was too late. The trigger had been pulled, and even before she consciously decided, she was shielding her brother. For one split second, the Queen thought that she had circumvented the danger.

She had done what she needed. Zee was safe. He was peering down at her with horror-filled eyes. His hands were on the gunshot wound over her heart, and then the searing pain registered. She looked down and it was a bit shocking to realize that he had been shot. As she went down, a second bullet lodged in her shoulder and a third grazed her skull.

"You have sustained heavily body harm, Your Grace. Help is on the way. ETA is three minutes," FIN said, appearing directly over where she lay dying. He saw it, too, as he scanned her, "Cardiac failure is imminent, X protocol is recommended."

Sookie had never been this close to dying. This was one of the few things that could kill her, massive cardiac damage. It didn't hurt as much as she thought. That couldn't be good; it meant her body was shutting down. It had been pushed beyond the threshold of pain. She was numb and cold was setting into her very bones.

"X Protocol," she gasped as her body began to seize.

"Authentication code," the Holo replied.

"3-0…" she wheezed, but that was all she could get out.

"Your Grace, the 'X' protocol cannot be initiated without your passcodes, do you require a reminder?"

In a distant part of her mind The Queen heard her brother shout at his security team as they tried to pull him away from her and, presumably, from danger. He had her in his arms, and she was glad because she would die in the arms of someone who loved her.

"Shh…Shy," Zee soothed. "It is not too bad, just a scrape."

That was such a lie. He was attempting to bring his wrist to her mouth, but she was turning her head in an attempt to give her last orders to the one who would safeguard every human and vampire in the arena. Moreover, it wasn't as if Zee's blood would heal her heart damage. He was too young and he was just giving into emotion, but logic had gripped her as death loomed closer. She knew she had a minute before she lost consciousness, two before her heart stopped beating on its own.

"3-0-K…"

Darkness descended, but Zee shook her, hard. That brought pain as well as a few more seconds of consciousness, although she was losing a handle on the happenings with every drop of blood she lost, and there was quite a lot.

"Shy'ra!" Zee shouted. His hand was pressed down over the wound to her chest, still trying to keep her from bleeding to death. "Keep your eyes on me! Look, look at me! I'm right here!"

The Queen's vision blinked out of existence and when she came to, the entire stadium was in pandemonium. She didn't want that, but she couldn't remember the thing that would stop it. She heard Zee calling out for Sai, and then she felt his arms around her while he tried to stop the bleeding by keeping her tightly tucked in his arms as if that would save her. It wouldn't, but she was the only one willing to accept that.

Sookie looked to her big brother, and to call the expression he wore murderous would be understating the truth. He opened his wrist over the wound. There was so much chaos and she was in so much pain, but his merciless gaze kept her eyes open. He slapped her face gently, grabbed a still hysterical Lysander, and disappeared.

"FIN, initiate X Protocol," The voice was strange, not because it was new, but because it was so rarely heard. It belonged to Neiman; it was like a balm for the wound and the wild panic. He gave the passcodes to do what needed to be done.

"Command confirmed," FIN replied. "Protocol X initiated."

It went quiet and that made Sookie feel like she was dying. It no longer mattered though. Everything faded to black and despite it all, there was only one person on her mind. Eric.

The Queen woke to the sounds of birds chirping overhead and the waves crashing against the shore. Both of those things should be pleasant separately, but combined as they were, it aggravated her thoroughly. It was beyond aggravating, it made the ache in her head worse. She attempted to move away and plug her ears, but all she got was pain. It shot from her arm to her toes, back to her head, and down again.

"Be still, love," Someone murmured to her.

Grayson was with her. He wasn't wearing his amulet. She could feel his warmth and hear the blood as it moved sluggishly through his veins. His scent was familiar, but there was nothing she could do about the objectionable way it affected her. Nothing ever made Sookie as unpleasant as pain.

"Where is my father?"

There was a long pause and then, "In Louisiana, he knew that you wouldn't want the Games to stop."

Sookie risked opening one eye. She saw him looming over her while she lay in a bed that she didn't recognize. She knew what she should feel, but her body didn't have the power. All she felt was exhaustion once she saw his face. Yet, be that as it may, the ruler in her worried for her people.

"What happened?" She slurred.

"After you were shot, it was chaos, and then whatever you did shut everything off and knocked everyone out, save for your family."

That was 'X' Protocol, a kill switch. "After your father woke me, I insisted on taking over your care while he attended to your duties as you recuperate."

Sookie's first thought was '_what care?'_ She was vampire. If the damage to her heart hadn't killed her, she should be good in no time. Not so much. She felt like shit. It was so hard to keep her eyes open. It hurt to even breath. The Queen moved and the pain sent her right back down. Grayson was there to ease the pain while he helped her back down onto the bed.

"It still hurts so badly," The Queen observed confusedly. "Why?"

"The bullets were silver, which you can handle, but once in your blood, it becomes toxic in large doses. There is also another poison that we have yet to identify. You need blood to heal, drink."

Sookie would expect a transfusion or a bottle, but she got neither. Grayson held her while he offered his neck. Sookie was so wounded that the offering made her salivate. Eric wasn't on her mind. Her inner predator arose, and all it had on the mind was blood. She pounced on him and he gave no resistance. Grayson allowed her to sate her hunger, and it took everything Sookie had to stop because at the heel of that hunger came another, and her inner vampire didn't discriminate.

"I can't," Sookie heard herself groan. If she said it was easy, she'd be lying. She hadn't been this hard up for blood in a very long time, obviously.

"We should," he said, holding her closer and pressing his body against hers. "We both need it."

That was debatable, but she was in no position for doing that. She took the easiest way out. "I mean, _I can't_. It hurts," and to be honest, it wasn't a lie.

Everything hurt, and Sookie was determined to find out the reason. Over a half a day had passed and she had just ingested blood. Nonetheless, the pain had diminished just fractionally, and looking down at her chest, she could see that the bandage continued to be soiled by her open wound. God damn! When the hell had she developed an allergy to silver? Though come to think of it, no one had ever shot her with silver anything. It was probably just as Grayson said, she may have always had it. Then there was a matter of the other toxin.

"What is in my system?" The Queen asked, attempting to sit up. She did it, but it made her head spin and her stomach turn, the pain was that intense.

"The healers do not yet know. They were hard-pressed to save your life as it was," Grayson pushed her back down onto the pillow with very little effort. Then he brought a straw to her lips. The crisp taste of cool water was almost as good as his blood. It eased the dryness on her lips and the fever she felt dotting her brow.

"I will take care of you now," he murmured. "Sleep, Love."

He refreshed the wet cloth on her head and kissed her lips lightly. Sookie wanted to protest, but the energy simply wasn't there. She settled into the soft pillow. The last thing she saw was Grayson, but something about the way he looked at her was off. She couldn't think through it. She was in too much pain and she felt her body burning through the poison. When she woke, she would be healed, and then she would leave California.


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

The fever came and never having been sick before, Sookie was convinced she was going to die, at least it certainly felt that way. It had been two days and her improvement was only mild for short periods of time. She had to feed from Grayson. She had run through the supply of bottled blood at the secluded, seaside safe house. It would be another day before more was delivered. She attempted to abstain, but the pain got to be too much, and then the fever wouldn't break.

"You need to drink," Grayson urged.

The Queen shook her head, "I don't have the control. I'll hurt you."

"I can eat and rehydrate. You are too weak for that."

He gently wiped the sweat from her brow with another cool, damp cloth. Then he slid into bed beside her. Grayson held her, but was careful of her wounds. For the most part, the organ that had been shredded days ago was whole. Most of the bones had knitted back together and all that remained was the flesh wound. That hurt more than she thought it should. It was a reddish-purple in color.

"I need for you to get better, my love. Please, drink."

The pain was there, but so was her need for blood. She fed from Grayson and both sensations eased. She found herself cuddling in bed beside him, feeling so content that she could almost purr. That thought was perplexing because it had nothing to do with hunger. She just wanted them to be this close, she felt so safe and happy. That thought was wrong, yet him holding her made it hard to think of anything else. For that matter, it helped her to manage her pain.

It was as if the opposite was happening when a human ingested vampire blood.

"There now, Love. Isn't it all better?" Grayson commented, caressing her face.

She hummed weakly and nuzzled her face against his neck, not to bite, but just to breathe him in. He smiled, so wrong, but right at the same time. _How was that? Why was that?_

"I knew we belonged together the moment I saw you. I just had to show you so you'd see."

Then it hit her… That look that she couldn't quite decipher came to mind. It had eluded her because Grayson had never seemed to appear manipulative when he gazed upon her. That told all that she needed to know. She would never get better here! Grayson didn't want her better; he wanted her just like this!

Sookie didn't know how he was doing it, but his blood was influencing her, the same way in which a vampire giving a human blood would, but much stronger. He would bind her to him and there would be nothing anyone could do! Instead of force and accusation, the Queen went with weakness. If there was anything she was, it was weak, and nothing could deceive quite like the truth.

"I want my father," she said in her most pathetic tone. "I want to hear his voice."

The proof was in Grayson's slight hesitation right before he replied, "The service here is very bad, and the house is warded, untraceable. That protection ranges from the most brilliant human hacker to every otherworldly creature."

"You did that for me?" She asked.

"Of course," he said, and then that adoring smile lit his face. "You are worth that and more."

Sookie had to wonder, was this not the most positive solution? Even as her rational mind gained ground, that haze of contentment and safety rose while her body only grew more fatigued. Wouldn't it just be easier to give in? Whatever Grayson's blood was doing to her would make her happy to be with him. It would take the impossible decision out of her hands. It would ensure that he would be enough to save her.

"I would do anything just to be with you."

Including, but not possibly limited, to nearly having her killed. Sookie needed to get away from him. Physically, she was helpless. She gathered what little strength she had left for a mental attack. She tried to enter his mind, and, as with all other undead, she couldn't read his thoughts. That wasn't shocking. She prepared to force her way into his mind and incapacitate him, but nothing happened.

He didn't even look as if he noticed her invasion. She dug deeper, and tried harder, but she just hit a wall. It wasn't a void or static mental note. It was like there was no one there with her. Fear turned to panic.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"Tired."

Sookie gave him her best smile, even though fear, pain, and the fever had sapped all her remaining energy. Grayson beamed down at her, kissed her head, and then left the bed.

"Sleep, and I will do my best to contact your father," he murmured almost as if to himself. "I want you to be happy."

The sick thing? She knew that was true. Grayson left, and Sookie pretended to sleep. When his soft footfalls faded, she tried to listen for anything and anyone else. A single human would be advantageous, but she didn't have that. There was nothing here save for Grayson and his guards. She had nothing except the pain of her gunshot and the fever of the poison. The Queen thought it too soon, but she was starting to believe Grayson was responsible for both.

No matter how hard Sookie fought, the lethargy returned before the phone call and contact with her father. Now it was dinnertime and her betrothed was attempting to spoon feed her some soup.

"I did make contact with your father, but you were asleep. He insisted that I not disturb you. He will call again at the end of the week."

Sookie knew for a fact that Grayson wouldn't let her leave until she was fully bonded to him. Whatever update the King of Three was giving Felipe about her health was enough. Her father couldn't spare the forces to cross check his facts, something Sookie knew that he did with everything. Felipe never so much as ingested a bottle of blood without knowing its source.

Sookie couldn't fight Grayson mentally or physically. What other options did she have? _Emotional_.

"I am still not well," The Queen lied. "I am afraid that the poison will kill me."

"No," Grayson cooed, setting down her meal. He placed her head against his chest and from the reflection of the spoon, she could see his anxiety, "You are not going to die. I will never allow it, drink."

"No, you are pale."

"Don't worry about me."

"Just lay with me, please?" The Queen countered as she gave him her best puppy dog eyes. He conceded immediately. Those notes she had taken from Zee must be working!

All his attempts at deceiving Sookie must have been grueling because even as fatigued as she was, he fell asleep almost immediately. His arm was around her middle holding her close, and it took everything Sookie had to move over in the bed without crying out in pain. With trembling fingers, she reached for his carotid artery and then she jammed her fingers into it using all the strength she had, which wasn't much. Just from the way Grayson's breathing hitched and then deepened, she knew he was unconscious. She sunk her fangs into his neck, taking more blood than he could spare. It would put him under that much longer.

The first thing Sookie did was test the strength of her legs. She wouldn't go running out of the house, but if she could just get to a phone or computer, she could access FIN and he was just as good as an army. That was the best case scenario, but as she tried to flex her feet, she found them useless.

Nope. They wouldn't support her weight. More to the point, they wouldn't help her if she ran into trouble while roaming Grayson's safe house. That was bad. Not to mention that even his weakest guard was leaps and bounds stronger than she was at the moment. Next, she patted his pockets, but he had nothing useful in them.

Sookie called Caspian by name, but he didn't answer. That wasn't very surprising. She had never before summoned using such means, and it seemed the safe house was warded against any and all unwanted visitors. Sookie knew that Grayson wouldn't stay unconscious forever, and she didn't know how long she could remain conscious. Already she was feeling the effects of incapacitating him. Soon she would be useless, not to mention helpless.

This was where having no Maker and Child bond to her vampire father became a blatant disadvantage. He couldn't feel her distress. Had the Queen been fully vampire, she could access the tie that bound them, using it to call for help, but she wasn't, so she couldn't. It left her with very few options.

She tried to think of Amelia so loudly hoping her friend would hear her. That didn't happen. Sookie attempted to summon Claudine, Colman, and even Niall. It was all fruitless. Every second that passed without result was a second closer to Grayson rising or someone else she couldn't contend with entering the room.

Desperation burned her logic and a name entered her mind. Fintan. Her biological father and his twin had breached her home along with the wards that guarded them as if they weren't even there. They were powerful. Could they get to her when it seemed as if no one else could? What did it matter though?

Sookie had flayed Fintan open emotionally and she had done the same with his twin physically. They wouldn't help her. She accepted that, yet with every beat of her heart, with every bit of strength she lost, she cared less and less. She would ask and if they ignored her, then she could at least rule out that choice.

"Fintan Brigant," Sookie whispered. "I know that you can hear me if you choose. I need you to hear me."

She looked around the little seaside room, but there was no audience. Still she continued to implore her last hope.

"I know you're not gone, no matter what I said," she told him. "I know you can hear me."

Trying to play at his guilt crossed her mind as did playing at his failures as a parent, but she knew better. Being unable to tell lies meant that faeries could sniff them out. Sookie had never cared enough to lie to Fintan. He would know now if she did now. That left her with nothing but the truth, and it wasn't pretty. She had to admit things to herself that were hidden in her life before Felipe.

"I don't know what to think or what to feel about you," she began. "I don't know you, so I can't trust you. I am a vampire. I don't trust anything fully so I treat you like a threat. Your efforts to help feel as if you're trying to buy the one thing you've never earned, my love."

It felt as if the fever was making the Queen delirious, thus more truths came spilling unchecked from her lips. The strangest part was that she felt like she had an audience.

"I know I hurt you, and I know now you don't deserve it. It makes no sense and it never did, but hurting and hating you felt like justice for my mother and loyalty to the father who raised me."

It was the first time that she was thinking about it consciously, and it explained so much of her anger at Fintan, her mother, and Niall, too. Oddly enough, the only one she didn't damn in this vulnerable, self-reflective moment was Felipe. He was a vampire. He had done what vampires do. It was everyone else who had acted as they shouldn't. They weren't here to blame, but Fintan was and he had been her whipping post for so long that she didn't know how to fully part with him, and the release he offered her conscience.

"It felt like no one cared about her, no one loved her like I did, but she never wanted my love."

Sookie's voice broke as those ancient pains bore down on her.

"She didn't care about it, and I wanted that more than anything. I heard your name in her mind, even though I didn't know what or who it was. I just knew it was something she thought of when she was angry with me."

The tears fell down to her ears and she didn't have the energy to wipe them away.

"Then she died like she was trash and no one cared, not you, my dad, not the man that took her life, no one fucking cared but me."

Sookie admitted that, and then she couldn't keep her tears unshed. It was if she could see and feel Caspian's words. She could see it so clearly, the picture Cas had painted. The Queen was Fintan, repentant, hurting, and hopeless, but Eric didn't care. Between that and the numbness that loomed in her future, she couldn't decide which was worse.

"I do not know what caliber of father you would have been. I will never know. That was never meant to be our path but I am willing to know the kind of person you are. So, as oblivious as I have been to your motives, as ungrateful as I am for all your efforts, and as much pain as I have caused you, I need you to help me anyway. Please."

Fintan showed himself to her, and he was right there where she thought her father would be if he was there. He was at the foot of her bed as miserable looking as she was. His arrival was silent and the best thing she had experienced since being shot. Behind him was his twin.

"What happened to you?" He said.

"Someone shot me," she answered. Their aim was pretty fucking good if she did say so herself.

"Aye, these things happen to people like us," Dermot commented. "Did you kill them?"

All she could manage was a slight shake of her head.

"Shall I do it?" He asked eagerly.

She shook her head, "It's not your birthday, so, no. They are going to die and soon, but first things first. I need to get to Eric."

"No," Fintan said. "You are wounded. You should not travel."

"I can't stay here. It's not safe."

Both faeries cocked their heads to the left, and it was like watching two satellites, she idly observed. Their heads seemed to rotate in the same degree at the same time.

"Monty will remove them, worry not," Fintan said, moving toward her.

"No," She replied, and suddenly felt as if breathing was a chore for which she no longer had the energy.

"Why not? It will be so easy, Fin," Dermot urged, turning to his brother. "I can make them all disappear."

Sookie could already see the glow of his markings under his shirt.

"It would be an Act of War. It will be a war that I do not want, a war that I am not certain I can win. It will be a war where I will be branded an instigator," Most importantly, she wasn't super excited about attacking the only other hybrids she had ever met, no matter how bat shit they were.

"I would kill them all and she would be safe," The dark Fae argued.

The Queen didn't think that Fintan would listen to his brother, however, by the look on his face, he was. He was thinking about submitting to Dermot!

"I am healing."

"They hurt her!"

Sookie swallowed all her logic, doing her best to ignore her deranged biological uncle while continuing to appeal to Fintan. He seemed to be the only one who had a leash on the Madman.

"I got better. I healed. It was slower than normal because of the poison, but it is working its way out of my system," She hadn't eaten or had anything to drink since the water her first day here, and she felt a little better for that now.

"No, my love," Fintan replied, coming closer.

Then he sniffed at her and gagged immediately, throwing his hand over his nose and mouth. Even if she thought he was trying to play her, the horror in his face was truth enough. The Queen saw the lie she had told Grayson to make him pliable. She was dying.

"Nightshade!" Dermot hissed.

He grabbed Fintan, and pulled him away from her as if he was afraid she was contagious. For all she knew she very well was. Fintan went reluctantly, and that bothered her, but she didn't know why nor could she spend the time to ponder. They needed to calm down or he was going to draw attention.

"What is that?" She asked.

"The only thing all those descended from the Fae have in common, and it is deadly to us all."


	35. Chapter 35

**Chapter 35 **

Sookie blinked her eyes slowly. She was waiting for pain, but it didn't come although that was the last thing she remembered. Dermot had her in his arms, taking her away from California and Grayson. She had passed out before she arrived at wherever this place was. She scanned the unfamiliar room.

For a confusing second, she feared that Fintan had taken her into the Fae realm. Everything was so faery-like from the pine canopy bed to the gauzy curtains fastened at the corners. It matched every piece of furniture in its carvings. The windows were open, a soft, lulling breeze wafted in, and sunlight fell into the room. Despite there being two faeries in the room, the overall scent in the room was minty and alluring. It seemed to help her relax the deeper she breathed inhaled it.

Fintan was sitting in a curvy armed sofa under the windows. He was sleeping. Dermot was asleep, too. He had his head in Fintan's lap and the fingers of their free hands were entwined even as they slept. The image was so strange because they were both grown men. It was strange, but still the scene held her riveted.

How would it have felt if he had been the one to hold her that closely her entire life? What kind of person would she be? Where would she be in this alternate life that never was? She didn't know and she never would, but still she wondered. Would she have Eric? Eric!

The Queen was ready to wake the faeries, but as she pulled herself into a sitting position, she felt the weight on the bed shift. Eric was there beside her. So this wasn't the Fae realm, which left her to believe that this might be Fintan's home.

There was no iron anywhere in sight. Knobs and other like items were made of glass, silver, or gold. Plus, no creature, male or female, would decorate a room in their house as if a faery princess was coming to visit.

The feeling that was always damn near bone deep whenever he was near didn't go off, even though he had been close enough to touch. He was seated beside her in bed and she wondered what had made him take that exact post. In standard 'on alert' vampire, he had his back to the wall. Instead of laying his head resting comfortably on the bed, he was facing the two people on the other end of the room.

Sookie smiled, but it felt like her lips would crack and bleed, so she stifled it. Having him so close, she couldn't imagine how she had thought, hoped, or wanted to try to live, even if it wasn't with him. She wondered when she would be up and about again. Having nearly died resolved her decision on coming clean.

The first time their time had been cut short, there had been so much she wanted to say. It had haunted every second they were apart and when he was gone, those things were still there under all her emptiness, circling the abyss. She would never stop trying to find a way to keep him always, but she had to accept that he might not be. Would some of him be enough, would it better than none? Yes.

It wasn't just being shot that changed her perspective although pain had a way of making the brain smarter. It was the toxin, finding that there was a substance out there that her vampire body couldn't fight; a poison that could have killed her just a car crash could kill him. She wasn't immortal. Nobody was, her expiration date might be longer, but she could be taken from him just as certainly as he could be taken from her. He wasn't likely to leave her because she would live longer! It wasn't because the roles were now reversed!

That wasn't something that she had ever wondered about when she hadn't known who she was back when they had both thought she was just an amnesiac human. Turning was something Eric would have never forced on her nor pressured her into. He would have never left her for that reason. Zee had been right.

Sookie was a control freak, and her fear over losing that control could have cost her the one thing that she wanted more than anything else once again. Even after all this time, she still couldn't show blind faith in someone she loved more than her own life. She wasn't sure if it was fear, pride, or something else entirely.

The Queen didn't know how much time passed, but she spent it watching Eric sleep. During that time, she was forming her entire explanation in her head. She would tell him everything backward, beginning with her arrival here. She would also come clean about Grayson and their past. She was anxious, wondering which would piss him off more.

Would Eric even let her finish once she began talking about being engaged to marry another man, being in the company of that man, and letting him kiss her? She wasn't so sure. His reaction when he had assumed Caspian was her husband was pretty strong and it hadn't even been the truth. This was.

Then there was the whole reincarnation topic. Oddly, it wasn't that he would think her mad that bothered her. It was the fact that he had told her the painful truth of his past and how theirs had destroyed it, and she had said nothing. He would be furious, and he had every right to be. She tried to think of the impending conversation ending in the worst case scenario.

That only made her more anxious because she couldn't think of a single, countering argument. She had been afraid and she acted like a coward. Instead, she chose optimism. Eric had surprised her before with his understanding. He might again. Okay, that wasn't optimism, it was lunacy! Sometimes lying to yourself was a beneficial way to get through the day. Then her bladder and the fact she smelled quite unpleasant gave her the strength to leave the bed.

There was no more physical damage, but Sookie felt lightheaded when she swung her legs over the side of the bed. It took a few more minutes of testing the weight on her legs before she felt confident enough to attempt standing. She didn't move as silently as she knew she was capable. Her legs felt as if they each weighed a ton. She used the bed for support and headed for the door, one baby step at a time.

"Hey, Queen girlfriend," That deep voice combined with those sleepy blue eyes almost made her fall, it made her knees so weak. His expression showed so many things; relief, happiness, and adoration to name a few.

"Hiya Handsome," she greeted.

He seemed to drink her in from head to toe over and over again as if to ensure she was, indeed, up on her feet. It was what she would have done if she had been beside him while he lay prone in bed for at least two days.

"So are you going to give me a hand or ogle me all day?"

He grinned as he rose to his feet and came over to her, "Both."

Then he hugged her for a long time before he scooped her off her feet and into the bathroom. Eric ran a bath for her and despite her many protests, he helped her with all her needs from using the toilet to brushing her teeth, and then finally washing her while she soaked in the large, claw-foot bathtub. Just feeling clean made her feel less fatigued. Eric washed her hair with soft massaging motions that made her moan. His ministrations seemed to purge her body of any remaining bits of strain.

"How long have I been out?" She asked him.

"Counting this morning, five days."

Just like that she tensed and sat up, ready to cut her bath short. "Your family knows where you are. Oliver and his wife just left last night, but Lysander should be popping in with Cas in a few hours. Relax," Eric placed a gentle, but firm hand upon her chest. "I don't want to have to get rough with injured sick old lady."

"Keep playing with your life," She grumbled, sinking back into her bath. "I'm going to bite you."

"Do you promise?" He asked.

All Sookie did was growl.

"Stop pouting," he teased. "It isn't very regal."

Eric smiled and placed a glob of bath suds on her nose. She did, but then she stuck her tongue at him, refusing to let him have the last word. Sookie heard Fintan and Dermot stir. She heard their footsteps and the momentary spikes in both their pulses. They were probably worried that she would be returning with reinforcements to kill them, no doubt.

That wasn't the case, but Sookie had every intention of leaving with Cas and Zee once they arrived later. She had to endure until then. How she would go about that? She had no idea. With all the truths she had told Fintan and with all the emotions she had laid bare, she knew she couldn't return to that place of indifference.

Yet, their issues were still there, serving as an awkward cavern between them. A part of her wanted them to remain there, but another part, the part that noted everything he had done to date didn't want that gap. A part of her wanted to know the person that was Fintan Brigant. Another part longed to shun and hurt him.

"Where are we?" The Queen asked Eric. "How did you get here?"

"We are in downtown Vancouver, my apartment. I got it because I wanted a place for us when you came to visit."

"It's nice. I like it," she commented, meaning every word, "but why did you let the fairies decorate that room that way?"

He snorted a laugh, "This isn't a part of it. I have no idea how those two managed that."

She arched a brow in question.

"It was already there when they kidnapped me. I was running in the park, trying not to lose my shit after watching…everything. One second the path was all green and full of hills then I was here. That's when they explained everything to me."

Sookie couldn't keep the shock from her face or voice, "They did?"

He nodded, "I saw you, and I watched as they tried to save you. Once you were finally stable they told me about the poison. They said that they were faeries like Cas and that Fintan was your biological father."

Sookie's hope that she had been spared the consequences of her cowardice was short-lived. Eric thought that her only secret was the Faery father that she had never mentioned. She thought to broach the subject, but then Eric smiled. She was helpless to do anything but smile back. He wound his hair in her hands and rung it out, pulling out the excess moisture.

"Hungry?" He asked.

Food. The thought made the Queen's stomach growl loudly. She would have been embarrassed if she could remember the last time she ate. Sookie was wearing clothes that her brother must have brought. They didn't smell like anything she had ever worn. There were tags on them, but Ollie had folded and packed them himself. She could scent him on them. She wished like hell that she had remembered him sitting by her bed. He had probably read to her and tried to talk in the hope that she would respond. Worst of all, she hadn't seen his face in months, not since the island when her emotions were still lost.

By the time Sookie and Eric had found their way into the kitchen, Fintan and Dermot were there preparing lunch. Fintan did most of the cooking, though he spent a great deal of time keeping his brother from stealing pieces of the flaky treats off the platter. What she discovered once out of the bathroom and bedroom was nothing like the rest of the house. It really looked like any other apartment. More to the point, it was a brightly lit and colored place in which she could imagine Eric living.

"You created a portal?" Sookie asked. "You hid the door in the house?"

Dermot grinned evilly, "Aren't you observant?"

Several replies ran through the Queen's mind, but she voiced none of them because it might mean fighting with her uncle. She didn't have the strength and she found she simply didn't want to waste the energy. There was a boatload of food, and she needed the calories. Still, hungry as she was and as delicious as everything smelled, she could only think of her family. She thought of the horrified expression on Zee's face as he tried to staunch her wound. She remembered his panic and his pleas.

"How bad was it?" Sookie asked.

"Very," Fintan murmured into his cup of tea. "Your heart failed twice while we tried to drain the poison from your blood."

"It is a good thing that you're a stubborn shit," Dermot added.

"Monty!" Fintan snapped.

"It was a compliment. They are very hard to kill!" The other faery said as if it should be obvious.

For some bizarre reason, Sookie chuckled softly as she dug into her food. For the most part, the atmosphere was relaxed despite the company. When she glanced at Eric, he seemed far away. It wasn't as if he was bothered or angry, he just seemed distant and there could be so many reasons as to why. She didn't speculate. Once they were alone she could inquire what was troubling him, that didn't happen.

Eric offered to clean up after breakfast and the faeries agreed. Sookie offered, but all the men in the room glared. She was no stranger to testosterone, but she was too weak to fight it at the moment. She sat down as Fintan checked her blood for any remaining Nightshade. It wasn't nearly as invasive a process as she thought. He ran his hands from her forehead and down both her arms and legs.

"Just sparse dots remain. Your body can fight them because of your vampire makeup," He said.

Sookie nodded, "Tha…I appreciate everything you've done to help me."

Sookie wasn't just referring to the poison and her extraction from California. She meant for that to cover everything that she hadn't been impartial enough to acknowledge before. Fintan had tried. He had failed, but he kept trying, and that was exactly what she was doing where Eric was concerned. Cas had been right also. She was in the same boat as her biological father. She needed understanding and forgiveness from someone who should never forgive them their sins.

Fintan nodded with a beaming and joyous smile. If she were being honest, it made her uncomfortable. It was the kind of expression that accompanied a hug and if he hugged her, she wasn't sure what she would do. Moreover, she didn't know what she should do. She was saved from having to decide either way when the front door opened.

The very last person Sookie wanted to see arrived on the scene. The scent was familiar, and the confusing comfort that it brought her only made her instincts rebel. No matter what her body and her emotions had been tricked into believing, her instincts knew better.

Sookie belonged to Eric, even if her body and her mind changed; her soul would never forget it. It was the truth, but having nothing else in her veins but Grayson's blood, she still felt comforted, regardless of whether she knew that she shouldn't. He walked in the house through the back door as if he belonged.

There was nothing she could do to stop him. Even before she saw his enraged expression, she knew that her chance for a peaceful explanation had just gone up in smoke. There was nothing that would keep this from getting ugly. She stood, staring helplessly while her past and her future collided.

"You lied to me!" Grayson accused and his eyes were fixed on Eric. The King of Three didn't look like he saw a ghost. He appeared as Sookie never thought possible for him, dangerous.

"Grayson, we need to talk, but this is not that place or time. Go!" The Queen said, trying to infuse her tone with as much of her authority as possible. Grayson didn't cower. He inched closer, as if not believing what he was seeing while he gawked at a vampire who should be no more; a vampire who was now human. He glanced at the fairies, and it was if he suddenly pieced it together.

"You truly believe that this will end well?" He spat.

Sookie said nothing. She was already out of her seat and had her body slightly in front of Eric's.

"I trusted you. I loved you," He added.

"Grayson, leave. Now!" Sookie hissed.

This was going to be his last nonphysical warning. He was going to say more than she would have liked and she couldn't afford that. Telling the truth to Eric had to be on her terms, otherwise she had no idea what might happen or what he possibly might do.

"You would fight me over him?" The hybrid king snarled.

"What is he talking about?" Eric asked.

Until then the Queen had been happy to stand in front of him to shield him. Now, she had no idea what to do. Her indecision granted Grayson an 'in' to do her relationship with Eric even more harm.

Grayson faced Eric, "She was with me before she came here. She was with me at the Games. Her only interest in you lies in the fact that you are a replica of her first husband, a copy I assume they helped her create."

Eric moved from behind her to face her and by his expression, Sookie knew that he saw the truth. His confusion morphed to rage, and then he closed his face off altogether.

"Eric, it isn't what you think," she pleaded, reaching for him.

Eric recoiled, "Don't. Even."

Then he turned on his heel and walked away. That left Sookie facing a very enraged Grayson and she wanted to blame him, but this was her fault.

"I trusted you and you abused it. You lied to me, and I believed every single word because I thought your word meant something."

"It does, but I wasn't myself when I made you those promises. I never would have, Grayson. You need to understand that it isn't only the circumstances that have changed, but me as well."

"After everything, you think you can treat me like I am nothing?" He hissed. "You think you can just toy with my emotions without consequence? I am the one person in the Old world or the New that you do not want to fight. I was willing to be your husband and your ally, but now you have made me your enemy."

Then he vanished.


	36. Chapter 36

**Chapter 36 **

"That was entertaining," Dermot said with a look of supreme enjoyment.

If the faery busted out popcorn and a soft drink, Sookie wouldn't have been shocked. The urge to engage him, to unleash all of her issues upon him, was much too tempting. She decided to ignore him instead.

"We will be going," Fintan said. "If you need me, call."

"No! This is going to be best part!" Dermot protested. "She has been caught philandering! We do not know who she will choose!"  
"Of course she will choose her mate." Fintan defended.

"Look at him." Dermot countered. "He looks ready to fight her and we can watch, Finny!"

Sookie snarled at him, and Fintan glared. Dermot sighed despondently, much like a kid who had been deprived of his favorite thing. Reluctantly, he vanished with his brother. That gave her a few moments of silence to think of a way to salvage this. She just needed to get Eric to listen to her. Pissed off as he was, she knew it would be harder for him to want to believe, never mind listen.

Slowly, the Queen followed after Eric. He was in his bedroom. It wasn't the out of world one the faeries had created, the one where she had awakened. This was a part of the stylish, loft-style apartment. It was so Eric. She was looking around when he emerged from the walk-in closet in running gear.

It was completely inappropriate, but lust was the first emotion she registered as she drank him in. It left her brain addled for a moment, but then he looked through her as if she wasn't there, she knew how much damage had been done.

"I fucked up, Eric, bad. I know you're angry and you have every right to be."

He shot her a look that would normally precede bodily harm when he had been a vampire, "I didn't need your permission, but thanks all the same."

Eric grabbed his keys and she knew he was ready to go. She blocked his path, moving as fast as her body could manage. It wasn't much. In fact, in that short distance she overexerted her still healing body. When she stopped moving, her head spun, and she nearly crashed into Eric. He caught her effortlessly, steadying her.

"That was just not smart," he commented, easing her on the bed.

"Agreed."

He didn't smile. He still looked at her as if she was a stranger, a stranger who had hurt and betrayed him.

"Eric, it really isn't what you think. I can explain."

He nodded, "Okay, explain."

He left her on the bed and stood against the wall with his hands folded across his chest, waiting. That rendered her speechless for a few beats.

She blinked dumbly at him, "Really?"

He nodded, but she could feel his patience thinning and his icy cool failing.

"Okay, but it's going to sound crazy, like completely out of this world-"

"Oh, Sweetheart, it had better," he inserted coldly.

"Just promise to listen to all of it, please."

Something changed on his face. He must have been thinking that she would lie, but her last caveat seemed to give him pause. He didn't give her an acerbic retort. He nodded wordlessly again. It offered Sookie a little comfort and strength while she recounted their long and painful past, the sweeter memories since their reunion, and the details of his reincarnation. All throughout his expression barely changed.

"So me being your supposed 'soul mate' that transcended death to be with you again made you think it was alright to string both of us along?"

Eric didn't believe her. Sookie knew it by the question he asked and his tone. He wasn't asking about his previous life as a vampire. He was still very much pissed about her being with Grayson.

"Look," Sookie argued. "I know you don't believe me—"

"I don't, and if you're finished, then so are we."

"No!" Sookie called. She was on her feet again and she didn't sway, but it wasn't a smooth move either. "I can prove it."

"You are going to prove to me that I am a reincarnated thousand-year-old Viking vampire sheriff to whom you were married. You are going to prove to me that Free was an evil witch and a vampire queen who stole me away from you. Then, you're going to prove to me how you being with Grayson while we were together doesn't make you a lying shit."

"Yes," She told him firmly. "Well, I can prove all of it except the last thing...it's true."

He threw a look that was beyond murderous her way, and it had her rushing to explain, "I held onto him out of fear. Nothing happened, ever!"

Eric stared at her and whether or not he believed her, she didn't know. Since he was still there, she took the opportunity to prove what she could.

Sookie summoned her biological father. He appeared with his twin, and Dermot looked terribly sad that the drama was over. She wondered absentmindedly whether he watched enough television or if he watched too much. That was an issue for later. All she wanted was for them to ferry Eric and her back to her main palace in Oklahoma.

"Do you wish for me to go, my love?" Fintan asked her.

"No." she replied. "He might not want to stay after what he sees."

Sookie walked through her castle and into her no-longer destroyed suite. The panic room had felt like a containment barrier during the time the Queen had been lost. Today, she finally opened the door into the room that served as a portal into her past. She never understood why, even in her robotic and hollow state, she had kept these things. She was now relieved that she had. In this moment, it was as if she was looking at them for the first time. There was a memory that held smiles, love, and happiness attached to every item in the little room.

"This is mine," Eric said.

His voice was a whisper, but it was certain, even though his expression was confused. He had been following her wordlessly, probably expecting more lies. As he gazed at a portrait that was dated thirty years in the past, Sookie knew that Eric could no longer deny it, not when he was faced with something as intimate and personal to the vampire he had been. This was something that she knew he held more dear than the ring he had given her.

The piece in question was the one he had painted of her as she had slept the night he asked her to marry him, the night both of them decided to stop running from their heart's desires. Eric had depicted that moment as if he knew he would need to remember one day. She was sprawled in bed.

To be honest, Sookie had never appreciated the artistry before. Looking at it now with all that she knew, she understood just how much he loved her. He didn't just love her when he was a vampire. She had also been more than his mate. She was the woman he had worshipped.

Nudity, seduction, and sensuality were evident in the way Sookie's past self was displayed. Every arc and dip of her upper body screamed her sensuality. She looked like every bit the satisfied woman she had been that night. Her hair and the sheets were mussed from sleep and a night of lovemaking. Yet somehow, she knew it made her more appealing. The sheets were tangled, but she looked somewhat fretful.

Sookie recalled that night with so much joy and so much ease. It wasn't a nightmare that left her restless. It was the absence of Eric in the bed. Soft brush strokes and the enigmatic mix of colors captured it all. For every part of Sookie Eric had captured that night, she had the feel, scent, and sound to go with them. They were forever ingrained in every fiber of her being.

In the portrait, Sookie's head was resting on her left arm, but her right seemed to be searching for something, for her mate. The painting evolved from just one sketch of her. It captured the emptiness on Eric's side of the bed and included the window. The light of the fading of the moon explained his absence. It threw the most titillating shadows over her back and across the sheets that covered the rest of her body. Sookie continued to gaze at the painting, trying to bury all the emotions it brought to the surface. Eric was close enough to touch the canvas, his canvas, but he didn't.

"I have seen this, this exact image in my mind, I dreamed of it, and even tried to replicate it, but..." Eric murmured. "I know every freelance portrait I have ever finished, but this isn't one of them. Where did you get it?"

By his confusion and awe, she knew that he was finally starting to see. He might not believe the entire tale, but he knew art and no matter what else he wanted to refute, he couldn't fight the proof.

"You painted that over thirty years ago, the night you asked me to marry you."

Eric said nothing as he caressed the painting in the faintest of touches, "How?"

"I was telling you the truth," Sookie replied. "We have so much history, but this is all that I have of our past."

Eric said nothing, but it was as if she could practically see it coming together in his head. Sookie hung back and watched as he touched so many things in this most sacred of places. There was his favorite green t-shirt. She had kept all of his sketch books. He spent hours glimpsing it. He scrutinized every sketch and their every detail, carefully running his finger over every line. She watched along with him.

Eric had reached the end of the book. Then he moved on to a dresser where her ring sat. It had been untouched since she'd placed it there. Through the dust that covered it, the diamond still glistened under the bright lights. Eric picked up the thing that was a symbol of his marriage proposal. She had never asked him what had made him choose that exact cut and design.

It was old world in its filigree diamond-encrusted band and the large princess cut diamond. It had felt so right, even when she felt like it had been too much. Eric held the ring and spun it round and round on the tip of his index finger. It was as if he was testing the weight of the ring. When it seemed to have passed some test, he fisted it in his hand.

"What happened after the divorce? How did I die?" He asked. "All you said was that my Maker made me do it."

That single moment would haunt her forever; she knew it by the amount of pain it brought to the surface. It wasn't just pain, she was so ashamed and felt so guilty. She couldn't look at him anymore.

"It was my fault."

It was the first time that she was saying this out loud and the words felt like poison burning her tongue. Tears threatened to fall, but she forced them back. Eric had always hated to see her cry. She didn't want her tears to be the reason why he chose to stay.

"That can't be true. Makers own their creations. There was nothing-"

The Queen shook her head, and then she could no longer keep her tears unshed. Of all the emotions that had been running rampant because of their newness, grief was the strongest and there was so much of it left. It hit her like it had in that split second before part of her soul had been lost. She fell apart.

"It was my fault. You had your own plan to get back to me, to get rid of him. You begged me to do one thing, the one thing I swore to do as your wife and I didn't. I didn't trust you. My pride didn't let me; my pain didn't let me. In the end you paid for it-"

Her sobs quickly made talking impossible. She buried her face in her knees as the hollowness and the grief collided in her. It was as if both would destroy her as they fought for dominance. Eric left her to it. Cas had been right. Eric was probably going to leave and she couldn't find it in herself to blame him. Even if he didn't recall every detail, the little that she had told him would be enough. He couldn't stay even if he wanted. Sookie hadn't just led to his end in that life, she had condemned him to a childhood of misery in this one.

Sookie didn't see Eric move. She heard his footsteps as he no doubt made way for the door. He didn't. He slid down beside her. She peeked at him through the curtain her hair created. He had taken a similar position as her. Then he took her left hand were it lay, wrapped around her legs. It wasn't in comfort. She looked up because she didn't know what he was doing.

Eric slid the ring back on her finger just as he'd done over three decades ago, "I love that you love me and I love you, too."

"You remember?" She asked in disbelief. That had to be only explanation. He had said those words verbatim.

"Yes, Lover. I remember."

The Queen was lying in bed with Eric and it was hours later. They had spent every minute of it talking. It wasn't nearly as painful as she would have thought. It was as if they were catching up after a long separation. Although he recalled many major things, Eric still needed her to fill in the blanks.

It would seem like idle curiosity, but she knew that he was looking to corroborate every assumed delusion he'd had. It also explained many of the things that were on his mind. The fact that FIN had been stumped that he had been human, and Zee acting as though he'd seen a ghost, to name a few. It was as she had assumed, Eric was many things, but stupid wasn't one of them. They broached the subject of Freyda and that was difficult, but not for the reason she would have thought.

"Why do you think Free and I found each other so early, when you and I only met again recently?" He asked, toying with the ring on her finger.

"Balance, I think. I'd hurt her," Sookie admitted and for some reason, the fact that this Eric loved Freyda made her ashamed of that. She had plucked the limbs off the witch Queen like a cruel child torturing an insect.

"Toward the end, she was ruined and totally alone. I think you started to feel sorry for her because she was a pawn you intended to use against your Maker, and I was dismantling her. I took everything from her and she began to...unravel."

None of them had escaped that love triangle unscathed.

"Shit!" Eric exclaimed, sitting up from the bed.

"What's wrong?"

"Free," he said, reaching for the phone on the nightstand. "You started feeling. I stopped having nightmares, and she's been acting differently since the day I first met you. I never assumed it meant she was getting better."

"Oh."

That was something that hadn't occurred to Sookie. To be honest, it wasn't something she thought of often. Her feelings of human Freyda were so multifaceted that she went to great lengths not to think on them. However, Sookie did find Freyda's recovery to be a great thing. It wasn't because Eric could let her go with a clear conscience.

It wasn't about her insecurity. It was about her own happiness that someone who had been suffering since she was a child no longer would be. They had all been serving the same sentence, just in different prisons, and now they would be free.

The Queen listened as the call Eric was making to his ex-wife's hospital connected. She could clearly hear every word, even the ones in the background that Eric couldn't. She knew something was wrong before he did. When he asked to speak with Freyda, he got a police officer instead. Freyda was missing.


	37. Chapter 37

**Chapter 37 **

No matter what Eric remembered of the past and what she had done, Sookie knew that her mate still loved Freyda with every fiber of his being. She saw the blood drain from his face at the news, and felt his dread like a frosty breeze over her skin.

The Queen knew just how badly it hit him because he didn't seem able to respond as the officer spoke. He just held the phone tightly in his hands. Once they informed him that they had already been to his home, all three of them, Eric looked ready to lose his shit.

"Then go back!" Eric ordered. "She wouldn't go anywhere else, and she can't get far. She has to be at the home address, my apartment, my agent's home or my work."

"Mr. Northman, we are doi-"

"Where is Doctor Whitely? I want to talk to him," He asked and there was that tone again.

If he was a vampire, someone would have suffered severe bodily harm. He wasn't a vampire, and she knew that he still would be a hazard to the people on the other end of phone. The phone changed hands and when the lines connected, Sookie caught a glimpse of the vampire in his steely tone.

"I don't care how she got out, but if something, and I do mean anything, happens to her while you are following your bullshit procedure, I will become a hazard to your fucking health! So if I were you, I would stop worrying about trying to cover the clinic's fuck up and focus on finding her."

Then he hung up.

Eric dropped the phone and he covered his face with his hands, and after a deep exhale, they traveled through his length of hair.

"Hey," Sookie said, taking hold of his hand. "It's okay."

"I don't know what I'll-"

She crawled into his lap and wrapped her arms around him. He held her as he always did when he was troubled. He seemed to breathe in her scent to calm himself.

"I'm Queen girlfriend, remember? My dad is a king and I have a brother who is also a king. I think between us we can find one human woman. Give me a few minutes, alright, and then start threatening people."

A ghost of a smile lit his face and hope sparked in his eyes as his worry ebbed. "You'd help find her for me even after everything?"

Sookie nodded easily and smiled, "I'm actually not doing it for you. If we get a second chance, then so should she."

There was that lopsided grin that she loved so much. Of course, it was followed by something cheeky, "I know for a fact you weren't this understanding before."

Sookie smiled as she climbed off him, "With age comes wisdom."

He scoffed, "You're not even that old, a cougar at best."

He really did remember because he knew how old she was. She turned around and stuck her tongue out at him, "Hi Pot, I'm Kettle."

They laughed as they walked hand in hand out of the room. The good mood didn't last. It took all of twelve seconds for the Queen to hack into the hospitals cameras. She saw how Freyda had escaped. She had scaled down a three-story drop with the feline grace of a vampire. It was no surprise though; Eric was just as skilled. From there she had jogged through an area with no traffic or any other manner of surveillance.

With Eric's help, she was able to figure out where Freyda would end up. They both watched as she got into a taxi and from there, it was easy to trail her. She had gone to the house that she and Eric had shared to change out of the stolen orderly outfit into her own clothes. Then she drove towards Vancouver. It was obvious she was heading to Eric's new apartment, but she never made it.

Fate was bloody whore, Sookie thought to herself. Just as she and Eric had gotten over such a humongous hurdle, just as she was ready to live with him instead of obsessing over forever, Fate wanted to rid her of both. The Queen watched Freyda turn off the main street. For some reason, probably ambiguity, she had chosen to park several blocks away and that was how she literally ran into Grayson.

Sookie saw him vanish after their confrontation. It had been odd to see a vampire do that, but she had just been too concerned with Eric to put much thought into the matter. She hadn't even cared where he would end up, just that he had gone away. What were the odds that Freyda had chosen that day to break out of the hospital? What were the odds that she would be right there at that precise moment? Slim to none, and if she wasn't watching the elusive King of Three abduct Freyda, Sookie wouldn't have believed it herself.

This just got a whole lot more complicated.

"What do you mean you can't just go get her?" Eric asked Sookie an hour later. "You know where she is. We saw him take her!"

"Grayson won't hurt her. He wants to deal. I can ransom for her safe return and I will."

Sookie didn't tell Eric that she knew what Grayson wanted. He said nothing. but he scowled, the helplessness making him appear more dangerous.

"I need you to trust me," The Queen told him.

"I do," he said.

The first thing Sookie did wasn't to attempt contact with Grayson. She needed to talk to her father. There were plenty of reasons, but mostly she missed him. She was also looking to save Grayson from himself.

See, what Sookie knew was that the King of Three was angry, not sadistic. His family had put too much emphasis on separating themselves from fully-fledged vampires because they considered them to be savages. So kidnapping an innocent human was not something he did normally. He had abducted Freyda on a whim, possibly because seeing yet another vampire who should be no more was too much for him. It was also possible that he might have thought to use her as an ally. The best thing to do would be to give him time to calm down. Also, the lack of contact could make him uneasy and he wouldn't do anything rash.

It took quite a while to get in touch with Felipe. That wasn't surprising. He was so busy with his state and all three of hers as well keeping the rumors in the presses minimal. As far as the world knew, Sookie was no more. Her father was doing nothing to dissuade those rumors. She knew it was an attempt to make her attempted assassins relaxed. If you were comfortable; you made mistakes. Still, knowing all the worry and stress that the assassination attempt was causing him made her hurt. It brought that protective instinct roaring to the forefront.

The phone passed hands several times until the Queen was hearing a very familiar voice, but it lacked its usual aggression. It was clear that she had been the last person he thought would be calling. Sai was relieved to see her. It was there on his face for a fraction of a second.

"Shy," Sai greeted.

"Hello, Sheriff,"

Referring to Sai by his official title was a way to make him less eager to kill you. In this instance, Sookie did so because she was feeling rather respectful and weak.

"Where are you, you little shit?"

"At court," she replied.

"What happened? Why has Grayson relocated you to Oklahoma?"

It was then that she realized that she had made a mistake. While her two younger brothers had known of the change, it was now obvious that they hadn't wanted to be the bearers of the bad news. She didn't blame them, but it was a real bitch move on both their parts she thought.

"I want to be on my own turf," she lied. "I am strong enough to no longer be in his care."

From the right, Nim joined the video call. He said nothing. His eyes honed in on Sookie and it felt as though she was gaining a thousand pounds with every second that passed while he continued to stare. He knew she was lying, but he didn't know why. Silently, Sookie was trying to get him to leave it alone, but he wouldn't.

The one thing about Nim, the one thing that made his word absolute, was that he never spoke. Everything he said he would swear by. He had this inherent ability to see all a person was in one glance. It went deeper than telepathy or fortunetelling. Nim could explain and understand the motivations of a perfect stranger, even before they themselves became aware.

In this instance, Sookie knew that he saw, but he didn't understand what she was doing. Presumably she was acting in a way that he had never known her to behave. He wasn't going to let it go. Their silent conversation had gone on for so long that Sai finally caught on.

"What?" he snapped, not appreciating being left out.

"Shy…she is lying," Nim said. "So was Grayson. He wanted to keep her near him to gain affection, but now she is lying to protect him."

He leaned closer into the camera as if that would reveal more, as if they weren't hundreds of miles apart. How the hell was he seeing this? Sookie had kept her expression even, not empty, but detached as she would if she was talking to Sai about business. It had fooled her eldest brother.

"He...hurt her," Nim continued. "He is hurting her still, somehow."

Sookie's expression confirmed those words that damned the King of Three. When her eldest brother whipped his head back toward the video phone, he looked much as he always did, but in this instance, he appeared more homicidal than usual. Nim's expression didn't change, but somehow she knew he was right there in the range of mass murder just like Sai.

"Shy'ra, you will tell me the truth of this matter, and you will do so now or so help me, I will come beat it out of you," He growled.

Eric chose that moment to make his presence known. Human though he was, he looked just as dangerous as Sai.

"Unless you want to die again, you will get lost, now!" Sai hissed. His fangs were out.

"Last time we disagrred, that shit didn't exactly end well for you, did it?"

Too much testosterone, way too much! Even through the video call Sookie could feel the tension between both males. It felt as though the air got heavier. Sai made a noise that she couldn't quite identify as a snarl. It was in a new and unknown category of terrifying. She would be scared for Eric even if he wasn't human. She grabbed him and pulled him to sit beside her, but adjusted the screen so Sai couldn't see him.

"Okay," Sookie told her brother. "I'll tell you everything, but promise you won't get mad…"

Sai looked at her as if she had lost her mind. He hissed, a ferocious sound, while he walked off the call. She heard him punch something, a wall if the crumbling noise was any indication. He began cursing in three languages before resuming in English again.

"Talk to your sister because I'm going to hurt her and kill her human if I have to go down there, Neiman. I fucking swear it!"

"Can you please act your age for like ten seconds?" The Queen snapped. "Please, Sai? I know it's hard."

Nim shot her a look. She had lost his vote. He was choosing to side with Sai. Having no other choice, the Queen told her brothers all that had happened.

"I do not know for certain that he had me shot," She concluded. "It is very unlikely because that would mean he was involved in two other crimes. I just don't see it. That being said, he was poisoning me with Nightshade, something only those descended from the Fae would know I was susceptible to. He…"

"He told your father you were too wounded to talk. All we saw was the video of you breathing and fast asleep."

"He made it so I had no choice but to feed from him while he continued to slow my healing. I later found out that having only his blood would form a bond. I didn't realize it until it felt as if I was forgetting everyone I loved, but him. It must be a hybrid thing," which was still news to her. No matter how much Eric the vampire had fed from her, nothing of the sort had happened. The same was true for her as well. They hadn't been able to form a blood bond of any sort, be it one sided or no.

"That makes things very easy for us," Sai hissed with a frightening kind of calm. "Nim, be so kind as to declare war now, will you?"

Of all of them, Nim alone had the authority to declare war, not even Felipe could do so without his consent. For obvious reasons Sai did not have the same power, even though he was eldest and a sheriff. The majority of the soldiers from the state were part of his 'Ghost Squad.' Nim didn't nod to comply, nor did he shake his head to refuse. He just continued to stare at the Queen. Having no idea what he was looking for, she remained silent. Sai was well into battle strategies.

"I will send my Flush. Nim will send the Ghost Squad. He also automatically takes control of Victor's fighters. Oliver will want this fuck ash, and Genevieve will allow him use of her soldiers. Then we will have your soldiers. They have been on the ready since your attack. They only need a half hour to mobilize."

This was exactly why Sookie had lied to her brother. Where she had a definitive and most practical method of problem-solving, Sai was of the kill-everyone fire and brimstone mindset of conflict resolution. This was the last thing the Queen wanted. Her whole life she had wanted to meet other hybrids, this wasn't how she wanted it to end, no matter their differences.

Being a child with only fully-fledged vampires as immediate family wasn't easy. The fact that she had Genie wasn't enough. He was a middle-aged neurologist. When she had realized the difference between both, she wanted to belong to the undead, but she hadn't, not really. She wasn't as fast. She had to eat. She slept at night and despite her best efforts, she couldn't hang with her brothers.

She had gone to school and wanted to be like all the other kids there, but she couldn't. She was too mature, not to mention she was smarter than her teachers. Full combat lessons were waiting for her before dinner. There was nothing and no one like her in her life, and even when she had been conscious enough to search, it hadn't mattered.

The search had yielded nothing. Knowing that there was an entire state and a family almost like hers erased that thing in her, the thing that made her feel unique, alien, and alone in her physiology. She couldn't, she felt physically incapable of laying waste to it. It meant too much on an intrinsic level that she couldn't fully explain. Convincing the vampires whom she loved of that was damned near impossible, with them blood and logic was all that mattered.

"Sai, this is personal, not political," The Queen implored. "I know him. I can talk to him."

She tried to make her voice as firm as possible. Normally contending with all this alpha male energy was easy. Sookie felt like she was suffocating under it at the moment. She still felt drained and so exhausted.

"You are Queen and may do as you will. Be that as it may, you are not my Queen, and so your wants have nothing to do with me, but do mention to Grayson amidst that conversation that I so look forward to skull fucking his corpse," Sai replied quite merrily.

_What does one even say to that?_

Sookie had no idea. She was speechless when her eldest brother left to make his preparations of doom, presuming Nim would side with him. Her other brother remained and his gaze was piercing, for he could see so much more than a war that was possibly in the horizon. He could see that Sookie didn't want blood. He was willing to listen, even though blood was exactly what he, too, desired.

"This isn't a plotted coup, Nim. Grayson is acting out of hurt, not malice. He has no idea how severely it will affect him."

Nim didn't nod, but somehow Sookie knew he was seeing reason. She capitalized on it.

"He is emotional and I played a great part in it. I did what was easiest, and not what was best or what was right. I have to own that. Going to war will wash away my offense with blood."

Nim tilted his head to the side as if to ask, _'Why not give big brother what he wants, what we all want, what our code dictates we do to our enemies?'_

"Despite it all, I do not believe Grayson is a threat of any measurable volume, do you?"

Again, Nim's head didn't shake to signal the negative. It was in his eyes though. His eyes said, 'No.' Sookie let out a breath that she was holding. If Nim sided with her, that meant no one in the family, not even the King, could argue. With one last piercing look at Eric and her, her brother nodded. Then he hung up.


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter 38

Eric waited, but Sookie knew that it was none too patiently. Outside of breathing, he remained eerily still for a human. Initially, she had intended to wait until tomorrow to talk to Grayson, but she knew that he wouldn't last the night.

Sookie drank human blood to replenish what she had lost and to regain her strength. Then she ate and dressed. Once the sun fell, she knew her father would call. She knew that once more she would risk losing his acceptance. His behaviors aside, Sookie couldn't marry Grayson or anyone else. She had accepted it, and it was time that he did the same.

"Your Grace," FIN announced. "You have visitors."

Sookie tapped into the surveillance cameras, and looking at the faces of the four vampires that were not hers, but had somehow gone undetected by her scouts, was interesting. FIN didn't know all of them, but the singular one he could identify belonged to a band of mercenaries, known as 'Hell's Spawns.' Their leader was kicking against the main gate. The Queen would have disposed of them, but then the list of the other people appeared on the screen. One of them was Pamela Ravenscroft.

"Let them enter," Sookie said.

"Warning: multiple weapons signatures detected."

"Override protecti-"

"No," Eric said, coming to stand beside her. "We will go out to meet them." He grabbed her hand.

"From behind the gate, please ignore Queen girlfriend," he concluded with a dirty look pointed at her.

"Eric," the Queen implored. "That's Pam-"

"I know who she is," he said, moving closer to the screen. "I can't even see all of her, but I know that I know her."

They took a short cut to the gates, taking the elevator to the garage, and taking the car in the first car in the fleet. Eric drove and for a second as he held the door open for her, Sookie could so easily see the vampire. When he joined her in the cabin of the car, the warmth of his body and his beating heart claimed otherwise. Otherwise he was silent as he drove to the gates.

The Queen exited the car before Eric. She alone commanded attention, but when Eric joined her, the night became eerily quiet. The only things that moved were the wind and Pam while she stumbled forward as if in a daze. She stared at Eric and he stared right back. The two were silent as the mercenaries were paid, and long after they were gone, they gazed at each other still.

"This cannot be," she said after what felt like hours. "I felt it. I felt as our bond vanished, disappearing into nothingness."

Sookie noticed that Pam had come close and her hands were braced on the main gates as if desperate to get closer to a face she knew, but had lost. She was shaking her head as if to dislodge the most poisonous of delusions.

"I remember telling you to stay with her, no matter what became of me," Eric said, walking toward her. His words were steel and his tone was merciless.

"I trusted you to be there with her when I could not. I made you swear to be the one part of me that remained with her still when I was no more. You failed me, Pam, when it had never mattered more."

This was news to Sookie, but she knew better than to voice it. There were just some family affairs that needed to be handled without intervention of any kind, not the royal or even the divine.

"Yet you abandoned her mere days after my end, knowing she had nothing to which to tie herself, knowing what it would do to her. You turned your back, after you swore to me. You swore it and you just walked away!"

Pam looked like Sookie had never seen. Certainly, she had been a difficult in-law, but she had had been almost as unmoving as Nim. Pam had been the one to make the hard decisions Eric couldn't. Pam was the one who had saved Eric from himself for both their sakes. Even when the fierce second had surrendered to the reign of an invading King, she didn't look like this. Her face pinched in utter misery, her lips trembled, and her tears fell.

"I went to her court to deliver the message. I tried to force the words through my lips, I did, Eric. You have to believe me," she cried.

"I…couldn't. I hate her. From the moment you saw her, I knew she was your demise. I fought it, but you were insistent on courting your doom. Worse yet, for all her power, she couldn't save you from your Maker. I hated myself because I couldn't save you from yourself, but I hated you most for leaving."

"I may not remember everything, but I know you were stronger than that," Eric said, backing away from her.

Sookie saw how much pain that caused Pam. She had gone from holding the gates like prison bars to more like crutches. He backed away, and Pam lost her shit. She lost her temper and began screaming at him. Her anger was as old, if not older than the Queen's hurt and grief.

"How would you know? What did you even care?" she yelled at him. "All you cared about was safeguarding her at any cost, even your eternity and mine!"

This was one angle Sookie had never thought of. Pam was jealous of her…

"Ocella took Karin, your first. Alexei, took Bran, your sibling. The Witch Queen took Alexei. There was no blood tie or any other comforts in this world to bear my grief's end."

Pam gestured furiously at Sookie. Normally this sort of thing warranted swift retribution, but she let it be. The Queen was having a hard time deactivating FIN's intruder sensors.

"Her brother took your Maker. Then Ocella forced you to end your forever!" she continued. "I was all alone for the first time in two hundred years. You foresaw this, but so easily you gave me the command to serve the person who was instrumental to your destruction. You are no better than Ocella!"

Eric looked at her and she glared back defiantly. Whatever he saw made him turn away and walk back toward the castle. Pam watched him go, and long after he was gone she continued staring. There wasn't a single expression on her face that the Queen could decipher. It was for the best because each one looked more pained than the last.

"A little over a month ago, did you feel anything different?" Sookie asked.

Pam glared at her and Sookie gave her no response. They had come a long way, all of them. Sookie was no longer than skittish barmaid wanting her approval. She was a Queen and her will was law. She waited patiently for her to reply because she knew Pam would give her one.

"Is that when you did this to him, to bring him back?"

The Queen gave Pam a look that let her know that she was not in charge, not even a little. There was no way that she was going to ignore the query of a Queen, and then question her in turn.

"No," Pam said. Her eyes seemed unable to keep from straying in the direction Eric had gone. "I withdrew to the mountain ranges of Montana. I have been fighting a pull north for almost three decades now."

Pam had been aware of Eric all this time, at least on a subconscious level. She may have ignored the pull, but it had been there. What would that mean if a turn were ever attempted? Would that increase his chances? She didn't know, and she didn't want to think about it. Contacting Grayson was the most pressing of the two matters.

"I need to make a phone call," Sookie told Pam. "Make yourself at home."

It was obvious that Pam was either thinking of an excuse or a good time to slip away. Sookie knew that the vampire was going to go in search of Eric. For a while after she had gone, Sookie watched the path Pam had taken.

As someone who wasn't so far removed from the Viking's 'shit list,' she pitied The Raven. As someone who loved him, she wished her all the best of luck in mending what was broken. She knew that she needed all the luck she could get. Having nothing else to put off the phone call, Sookie moved to her home office.

"King Grayson is unavailable," A vampire said once the lines connected. "I will be happy to take a message."

Sookie wanted to sigh. He was really acting like a child. "There is a flight at JFK. It has boarded and is headed for LAX. I am willing to bet that some of his citizens are on it," She said.

"In ten seconds, I will have that flight delayed. Then I will blow their cover sky high. By the time the vampire Queen gets a hold of them, there will be nothing in all the worlds to save them, not even me. So, I ask again, may I speak with Grayson, please?"

The lines connected almost immediately, "I cannot believe I thought you different than the monsters that reared you. Does your depravity know no end?"

Sookie smiled and nodded her head, "The flight is already in the air. I waited until the temptation was gone to make the threat. So, despite what you may believe, my depravity does have its limits and they are restricted."

Grayson looked to the side while he had her words confirmed. When he turned his back to face her, he looked less furious and more like the calm King she had known.

"I know you are angry with me. I know I hurt you," Sookie said. "That was never my intent."

"No, but you meant to deceive me. You intentionally abused trust I gave so freely," he said.

This would have been a good time for her to point out that he was poisoning her and had attempted to force a bond she didn't want. Sookie didn't. Truthfully, he didn't have to own his shit. This wasn't about two wrongs making a right. This was about her owning up to the ways she had wronged him.

Her whole life, Sookie had been raised as a princess, and not just a princess who would make a good wife, but one that would be a Queen without rival. She hadn't behaved as such when faced with what she feared, not only what she feared, but what she desired most. It was disgraceful. Her fear had ruled her. It had made her weak and that was the one thing she had never been. It was the one thing she never wanted to be.

"I am truly sorry," Sookie told him. "You deserved more not because you are a king, but because I spent my entire childhood as the runt of the litter of vampire. I was the little vampire that needed to eat and breathe. I wanted desperately to find another like me. When I did, I did not behave as a Princess of my stature should. I gave into fear and it compromised my honor."

"I have never given you reason to fear me," Grayson said.

"No, you haven't," she agreed.

Not even when he had tried to kill her. Sookie wasn't afraid of him. She was afraid of the void.

"I never gave you reason to love me either," he held her gaze, but it took effort. He was going to confirm what she already suspected.

"We are the same, but you are the missing piece. With you, my kind-our kind, wouldn't have to hide. With our states allied, they would no longer live in fear of their undead cousins."

The King's confession was more realistic than any profession of love he claimed to feel for her. It was also a relief that she wasn't the only one who had been afraid. From one royal to another, she could even go as far as to say he was justified in his actions to safe guard his people. It didn't excuse the measures he had taken to have her, but it helped her understand. It made her tell him a truth that she hadn't told another. She wanted him to understand, too. "I saw you and I saw someone who might end my pain. If you didn't, then perhaps you could save me from it. When our paths crossed, I was on borrowed time. The vampire Eric Northman was my mate. I did not live not the way I should as I once did. I existed for my rule, my Line, and out of sheer defiance, but my time, and half my soul, they were gone."

"I could have made you happy," he said.

"No," she told him. "You couldn't have, but I believe that you would have tried your best. I would have tried, but forever is a long time, Grayson. Everything that forced us together would have crumbled under the weight of time. All that would have been left were your resentment, my regret at best, and the products of our efforts."

Grayson looked at her, and then he looked to the side. The scope of the video phone didn't give Sookie a clue as to who had entered the room. It was just clear that he was going to cut their call short. This was still a victory. He was calm, and she was certain that he would come to his senses soon and return Freyda.

"I must go now," he told her.

The Queen nodded her head in a regal and respectful manner, "Goodbye, Grayson."

"What the hell was that?" Eric asked, entering the room.

Sookie turned to face him, and it was clear that he had heard a great deal of the conversation. It was if his memory was bringing out the vampire she had first met, the one that she had fallen for so irrevocably. That wasn't to say that he didn't piss her off with his question or the attitude behind it, he did, but she just knew that she loved him. She also knew that his aggression was more about Pam accusing him of not caring than his thinking that she wasn't devoted to getting Freyda back.

"You are a Queen. He took something from me and in doing so, he took from you. Why are you apologizing to him?"

"For the same reason I apologized to you," she replied through clenched teeth. "I wronged him. Plus, we both know that he took Freyda to hurt me, not you. I'll get her back. Trust me."

"Trusting you is that last thing I should do!"

Sookie flinched. She was wrong. Those words Caspian had spoken mere weeks ago seemed to settle into her gut. In this very moment, she was living them. Eric's anger wasn't being directed toward the wrong person. His ire had nothing to with Pam. He was reliving his anger at her for all those weeks he had been desperate for her trust and faith. Yet, she hadn't even hesitated to deprive him of both. She regretted that more than he would ever know.

"I'll get her back," The Queen murmured, turning away. The Queen left the room as swiftly as she could manage in her current state. It wasn't sluggishly, but she was still able to lose Eric, not that he moved to follow. She wanted this pain that she had earned. It would be her forever because one thing was now certain; Eric deserved more than she would ever be able to give, both in their past life and in this one.


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter 39

"Mija,"

Sookie looked at the wall in the pantry. There was a Holo strip there where her father gazed at her in gentle reproach. He had overwritten the voicemail and all the other privacy features to allow FIN find her in here, of all the places where she thought she could just embrace her pain and misery in peace.

"Daddy…" she sobbed.

Sookie didn't think she could stop crying but she never needed him more.

"Are you still hurting?" He asked, somewhat hopefully. "Sai told me about the poison and-"

She shook her head. Uncertain how to continue, the King stared at her for a good, long while.

"If you are healed, then I do not know what could bring you to this."

No, he couldn't. Not for the first time she told her father the truth, knowing that it wasn't what he wanted to hear, knowing that it disappointed him.

"I can't anymore. My will is broken. My spirit is defeated, my mind is weary, and my heart is torn. I'm tired. I'm so tired."

It was her training that made her hide her face. The shame of crying like a lost child wasn't one of which she ever would want to subject her father. He had put so much into her, making sure she would be the best that she could be. She knew that, but this, this felt like the end. Sookie knew that if Grayson wanted her she would have to agree. She would have to marry him to save Freyda because Eric deserved that much.

"No, baby, you are a Princess by blood and birth. You are a-"

The old script wouldn't work, not this time. It was familiar, too familiar. It was the same one that had made her to rise to her feet each time she wanted to quit. It was the one that made her unable to accept defeat, but today? Today it just wasn't enough.

"I can't… This is the one thing I will never be able to outsmart, outlive, or outrun," She had finally given him the truth that had taken a long time in coming. "It is the one thing that you cannot save me from because I do not want to be saved."

It was the truth that they had both been fighting for so long now that it seemed like the norm. Felipe imprudently thought that he could plan and plan so that her destiny would be clear and easy. Sookie had foolishly believed that Eric was part of that destiny. It was now clearly unmistakable that they had both been chasing a pipe dream. They had to stop fighting. Every ounce of repudiation they poured into the denial only made the inevitable worse.

"Eric is my forever. I will never be able to live without him."

Felipe shook his head, but the look on his face threatened to break her. He was finally starting to realize that there was no way she could be without Eric and be as she was. For several minutes they stared into each other's eyes. Sookie hid nothing, but her father being the King that he was, attempted to make her concede with silence alone. When he saw his tactics were ineffective, he resorted to threats. For a ruler of his caliber, it was a last resort.

"No!" the King snapped. "You are my daughter! Mine!"

Sookie said nothing, not that he gave her an opening. He had moved on to strategies.

"Grayson is not a safe choice, but we can find another, perhaps revisit Sai's original idea, a child. To share one with Eric would surely be enough."

Desperation, she could hear it clearly because it was so foreign in his voice. If that wasn't enough, she could so obviously see that this idea was just that, a hastily spoken thought. So the Queen remained silent.

Sookie waited for her stubborn father to accept what they both knew, what they'd known for a long time, but had been fighting. There was no doubt that her father known this longer than she had even been aware. Now that she thought about it, he must have known all about the train that she used to race, the same train that she wanted to use to take her life.

Felipe had to have known about her sleeping habits or lack thereof. That was why he had given her Otto. It was now so clear to her that it seemed asinine that she had missed it. Before he had given them to her once she became Queen, Otto had been on The Ghost Squad, second only to Nim.

Gideon wasn't a lunatic who Felipe wanted to be rid of because it was too much making him submit. He had been nothing but a violent and ill-tempered diversion since day one. Given the expression on her father's face, her realizations were wholly accurate. Truly, he may as well be a psychic. Sookie smiled because he never ceased to amaze her with his ability to see so far ahead of his opponents.

"Shy, as you father I am begging. Give me this one thing, please." Felipe said. "Do not force me to choose. In this I cannot lose. Even if it means that I keep you alive by force. I. Will. Win."

"No, you won't," she told him, calling his bluff. "You saw what I became. Even if it was the most practical solution, you would never be so cruel, not to me. Death-"

"Then let us find someone else, while he still lives, you have time."

He just couldn't understand, and a part of her now realized that he never would. "There is no one else. Being with him will be my end. I am at peace with it," Every second she had until his heart stopped would be worth it.

The Desert King appeared utterly shocked, horrified, and dismayed. Looking at him, Sookie knew that she was once again overestimating his practicality while underestimating his devotion. She said nothing, and he took the moment to calm himself. When he continued, he looked much as he always did, poised as a monarch must always appear,

"I cannot agree to this. By asking this of me, you reach beyond the authority of your crown."

Sookie shook her head, "I do not seek your permission. My end is inevitable. When the time comes, I only ask that you find peace in my choice. If not because it was my will, then because logic dictates it."

Felipe chuckled, and it wasn't a noise that bore even the slightest ounce of amusement. Then it turned into full blown laughter one that he couldn't seem to help. It was as if the vampire King was gone and so was the charismatic Spaniard. Sookie didn't know the creature she was seeing. It's presence was such that it raised the hair on the back of her neck.

"How quickly my Princess forgets the might of her King once she became Queen. How easily the Queen demeans her father's love."

Sookie knew that there was no one Felipe loved in the way he loved her. They were the most similar in characteristics. He raised her and his mark showed so clearly in everything she did, so she knew he was using guilt as a way of manipulating her. In fact, she had counted on it, but those words, they were beyond low, even for Felipe.

"Don't say that," Sookie growled. "Don't ever say that, don't even think it. It is not true."

Her tone was laden with the full authority of her title. The predator leaked from her eyes as rage chased away pain. Sookie had never in all her life spoken to him that way. It wasn't so much out of fear, but respect. In this moment, she didn't care.

Felipe, of course, was unmoved.

"It is. It always has been and it always will be. You are a spoiled brat. My little princess" he said.

His smile became fond; it was her smile, only tinged with more sadness than she had ever seen.

"You have never, not once, stopped to think that as much of your soul as Eric owns, you own all of mine."

"Daddy—" But no words followed.

"It has never occurred to you that as much as you love him; I love you more. You are my baby, Shy. You are the daughter I never had to feel the pain of losing while I was human. I poured the rest of my humanity and the best of my forever into you."

"I love you, too," The words sounded so trivial because she knew how much she was hurting him. It was such that she could no longer stand facing him.

"Mírame, mija," he cooed. "Look at me."

Sookie obeyed before she even realized what she was doing. The harrowed look, yet calm expression in his eyes frightened her.

"You may not have seen my face or heard my footsteps but in your hell my child, I walked with you. I would do it again. You just have to stay because if you leave me, Shy…"

His face fell and in that moment The Queen saw so much pain. He swallowed it, refusing to shed a tear but she saw it in his furious scowl.

"I will follow you from this world. Be at peace with this inevitability because I am."

He was bluffing, was the Queen's first thought. He would never leave Sai, Nim, Ollie and Zee. His end would be damaging enough, combined with hers they would be left in danger. She gazed into his eyes and witnessed the truth. When it fully struck her, all she could do was gape at him, her mouth open, but she shook her head in silent denial.

"You cannot live without him," he reminded her.

He offered her the deepest nod of his head that she had ever received. It was as if he knew and understood that one thing clearer than even she could.

"Entiendo, I will not continue on without you," he said.

Then he hung up.

It was as if the planet stopped orbiting and time itself had stopped. She remained in that pantry, staring at the place where her father's image had been. The Queen didn't know how long she remained that way.

Eventually duty called, and she had to attend to the tasks at hand. Having nothing else to do, the Queen buried herself in her work for the next week. It took some doing because she was avoiding her father, Eric, and Pam. She was also attempting to make contact with Grayson while keeping an eye on the hunt for her would-be assassins.

It wasn't as if Eric noticed her absence. Neither did Pam for that matter. It simply felt as though the two people who were once paramount in her life as the telepathic bar maid were now whispering ghosts throughout the silence of the castle. There was a connection that they all shared, but none were willing or able to tap into it.

"I'm sorry," Eric said.

"There is no need to be, Eric." She replied. "It isn't your fault and it isn't mine, not really. It just is. You tried, and I did, too, and this is all that's left."

Nothing.

It was difficult for Sookie to know exactly how Eric had found her. She had been hiding in the western day chambers for a much of the past week. They weren't on the official blueprints of the home. FIN knew of them, but it required passcodes that Eric couldn't access. If she had to guess, she would say that he had been searching for her all week, mapping his course with that hand-drawn map that allowed him to do so.

It was because the Queen knew she would have to say a final goodbye to him that she employed the last remnants of her strength and her grace. She used them to pacify her love for the one man who owned her, for he was the one man whom she could never have. Sookie had always known she would die for Eric.

Sookie knew that even before she was officially His. She had known that truth before she was his wife. It should have proven to be too steep a price for she was a princess. Thus, her life should be worth a hundred sheriffs and a thousand men. Yet, for Eric, she had always been willing to pay that price. That soul deep truth of love and devotion had not changed.

The Queen felt it, that truth, as she gazed at her damnation and her salvation, her life and her death. Giving up her life was it. She would give her life for a chance to love Eric. She had done that and was prepared to do it a thousand times over. This was entirely different. It wasn't just about her life. The belatedness of that realization told her that her father had been right, she was selfish. She had never stopped to think what her end meant to the people who loved her.

Sookie could never, she would never, sacrifice her father or her brothers. For those five males, she would do anything, become anything, even forsake her soul and embrace an eternity of misery. Sookie nodded her head in respect and attempted to sidestep Eric, but he blocked her path. It could be the fact that she hadn't had blood in several days, or it could be that she wanted him to touch her. Either way, he was able to stop her. She was the vampire. She was stronger, but the way he invaded her space it was like the vampire she had known him to be. There was no reservation, no fear, and, oh, so much arrogance!

"I didn't mean what I said."

Eric's lightening blue eyes bore into hers with more intensity than her heart could handle. She dropped her gaze. Never one to be ignored, he cupped her face in both his hands, making her feel so dainty while exposing her vulnerability. She couldn't afford it.

"I lashed out and said what I felt then; over two and a half decades and a lifetime ago. I felt like a male who was hurting and failing his mate. It's not what I'm feeling now nor what I believe. I was caught in between the helpless vampire I was the last time I saw Pam, and the pissed off and confused human I am now. After all this, you can't possibly doubt how much I love you. You can't. Please, tell me you don't doubt that."

This was her proof, Sookie thought. In just a few sentences, Eric was breaking her resolve. He was making her weak, and every part of her wanted to succumb to the poison of his words. She didn't meet his gaze. She knew that she couldn't. As she ripped out Eric's heart, she at least had the decency to look him in the face.

"I do," Sookie told him solemnly.

She shook her head, taking a step back as if physical distance would fortify the mental. It didn't serve the purpose, not even a little. Still she stayed her course. This had to end, and it had to begin with her.

"We can't do this anymore. It is going to destroy us, along with everything and everyone we love all over again."

With his clenched fists Eric was thinking of Pam. He was hearing her accusations and all the pain in her voice. In her own mind, the Queen saw her father and his determined face. She saw her brothers from youngest to the first. Zee was so careless and carefree; he would never survive the fall of his Line. Oliver might, and Sai because he was a brute, but what about Nim? What would become of her ever-silent favorite, big brother? She couldn't fathom.

"By your will or mine, there is nothing in this world that will bear our love happy ends. We have to stop this, now."

He just stared at her, and all she could do was stare back. Her tears threatened to fall, but she fought them, "Let me go, Eric."

"I want to, Love," he said. "I know you're right. I have enough memories to know that you're fatal to me and I'm poison to you, and together we're a fucking disaster."

For a long moment he was silent. She thought he was finally seeing the truth and accepting it. His hold on her arm began to slacken. When she made to walk away, he didn't let her.

"The thing I remember clearest of all is the day I met you. When I fished you out of that destroyed, yellow bucket, and when I realized what you were to me."

He smiled, but it was sad, so very sad.

"Being together brought joy, completeness, and peace, but it has also caused us so much pain," he said, invading her space further. "Once upon a time, it was demanding because you had amnesia and I was a vampire sheriff. It's no easier now that I'm human and you're a vampire hybrid Queen. It will never be easy for us."

Tears welled in Sookie's eyes and spilled over, falling down her face. The truths he spoke were their own. He was admitting to them all in a way she couldn't, but in his words she could hear his fear. He was speaking it so eloquently that it both reinforced her resolve and broke her heart. She didn't want to hear it. Again, she tried to side step him, but he was still refusing to let go. A sick, masochistic part of her was glad to be suffering at his touch rather than to be free of it entirely.

"The weakest part of me is begging for an out. I don't want to leave Pam alone again. I'd never realized how much I hurt her. I don't want to hate Freyda for things she did before I loved her. I don't want to love one person as I much as I love you. Worst of all, I don't want to be the one that makes this the last goodbye."

Sookie nodded, and the pain was there, but this was the best case scenario. Eric could have a chance at a good life. She could get a start on her eternity without him.

"But I will. I'll let you go. It won't be any easier now than it was the day I first laid eyes on you. It certainly won't be easier than loving you, but I swear to you, I'll let go, okay?"

It took everything Sookie had to look at him, but she did. She couldn't force any words out of her mouth to show agreement, so she simply nodded. His face wasn't crestfallen. He looked focused. She wanted to match the same cool visage, but she couldn't manage it.

"All you have to do is tell me you don't love me."

That same question had once caused her to denounce her thrown and her birthright, now faced her again more than three decades later. To her utter despair, she was still just as weak for the same male.  
"Love was never the problem. I just want us to admit a deeper truth," she told him listlessly. "Love is not enough, not for us, not anymore."

"It is all we have ever had."

Before she could utter a word of refusal, his lips were on hers. In her heart, Sookie never thought to resist. She thought to put up a fight, but her body was treacherous. To be honest, it never belonged to her, not since she met Eric. Their lips met and she was lost to him, him and their combined passion.


	40. Chapter 40

**Chapter 40**

It was hours later and Sookie found herself in bed with Eric. It felt as if her eyes had just closed when her rest was being intruded upon. To make matters worse, she was so very tired. Yet the nagging voice beckoning to her felt like a damn bell chiming her name, over and over.

"Your Grace?"

Sookie finally blinked her eyes open. She cringed as the light of day blinded her momentarily. It was the first time she had slept in her chambers since arriving home. She also felt better than she had in over a week. Expedited healing aside, she had fed off Eric the night before. She turned her head to hide from the glare and found him beside her. His hair was a curtain on his face. A symphony of paint stained his fingertips. That meant that he had awakened at some point in the early hours of the morning to paint. She smiled, forgetting that she had been awakened by someone.

"Your Grace?" FIN repeated.

"Yeah. What's up, FIN?" Sookie moaned, pulling herself into a sitting position. While she hadn't gotten much sleep the night before, it was the most rest she had gotten all week. It didn't feel like nearly enough. Her body was realizing just how exhausted she'd been.

"We have a perimeter breach. Thermal sensors indicate two intruders. One is human and the other, does not compute; Psi protocol initiated. Readying pay load..."

That woke Sookie right up.

"Whoa!" she called. "Let's not do that. It's way too early to be blowing up people."

"It's almost noon, but as you wish, Majesty," he replied.

Hasty as Sookie was getting out of bed, she did her best not to jolt Eric. The Queen gave the proper authentication codes as she rolled out of bed. She had some idea who had come to call. She also took manual control of her castle defenses. She didn't think either was dangerous, so she didn't want them staining her grounds.

By the time the pair reached the door, Sookie was holding it open.

"King Grayson, welcome," Sookie said.

The King of Three made himself visible, and he acknowledged her with a nod. Then Sookie saw her.

It was one thing to see the former Witch Queen via video phone, and hear about her through firsthand accounts via Eric. It was another thing to see her in person. Aggression and loathing roiled from her gut and threatened to spill over. Grayson pulled Freyda back, keeping her slightly behind his right shoulder.

Sookie smothered her hostility. She could no more hate this human Freyda than she could be angry with this human version of Eric. There was no doubt that she, too, remembered the feud between them. Yet, those eyes hadn't lost any of the shrewdness decreased in their malice. She even inclined her head in a subtle bow.

"Your Grace," Eric's second ex-wife said.

All Sookie could think of was water; throwing water on the wicked witch to reduce her to nothing, no longer a threat. That would be so unbecoming even if it was effective. In that moment she realized just how much she loved Eric. She swallowed pain, jealousy, shame, hate, and heart ache in that one moment without ever really meaning to. It was easier that she could have ever imagined.

"Freyda," she replied. "Welcome."

Sookie had had many awkward moments in her life. Sitting in her receiving room with Grayson and Freyda was easily in the top three. For over five minutes she sat watching them, and they watched her. She was attempting to read the only person she could, Freyda, but she couldn't. There was a locked door. She knew it was there, she could pinpoint its location, but she just couldn't see behind it.

It wasn't the same force field that shielded Eric or Dermot's mind. Sookie wondered if it was because she was a latent function of Fintan's spell. After all, she wasn't the one whom he intended to bring back. She didn't know, but for whatever reason, Freyda's mind was blocked to her.

"I had prior knowledge of the assassination attempt," Grayson said without preamble.

"Yes. I'm well ahead of that," Sookie said rather dryly.

"No, you are not. You think I ordered the attack, but I did not."

Sookie stared at him and her gaze was intense. She wanted him to squirm, but he didn't. It didn't mean much. His mind wasn't one she could even account for, never mind read. If there was anything she had learned so far, it was that all hybrids were gifted in some way. She didn't know what other abilities he possessed. Giving him the benefit of the doubt was something he had earned because he had come willingly to her door.

"They killed to gain access to your arena. I would never sanction such acts of brutality."

No, he wouldn't. Sookie believed that. She believed it so much that she had banked Freyda's life on it. She hadn't been wrong. Freyda looked better than before he had abducted her. From head to toe, she seemed to be primed, pampered and draped in designer.

"I do not doubt you on that matter, but I need you to tell me what you know."

"This will ensure peace?" He qualified.

"Peace between us was never endangered. There was no blood offense on either side," she assured him. She wasn't even going to bring up the fact that he had poisoned her and tried to force a bond between them. She wanted the information he had more than an apology for his behavior.

Eric chose that moment to enter. For a second, she thought he was going to launch at Grayson, but then his eyes went to Freyda. The expression on his face was one that Sookie had never seen before. He looked so confused, but relieved. Freyda however; ran at him full tilt. The Queen wasn't sure how she felt when his arms seemed to open for her before she slammed into him. She hugged him and buried her face in his chest almost as if she was afraid he would push her away.

Eric didn't.

"I'm not apologizing because I don't care what I did then," she said in a small voice that still sounded plenty stubborn. "You are my best friend now, and you don't get to stop being that."

Wanting to give them time alone, Sookie turned to Grayson, "My study is this way."

Eric still had his arms around Freyda, but he caught her eye, and she nodded to reassure him. She had meant what she had told him. Just like the two of them, Freyda deserved a second chance. Did it mean she wanted the former witch Queen to be best friends with her husband? No, she didn't want that, but Eric loved her. It was clear that she loved him, too. Sookie knew she had to make her peace with Freyda, or at least look at her without frowning. Eric caught said frown and smiled. Yeah, Sookie was going to have to just deal with it.

Back in her study, Grayson continued to debrief her, "The gun was made from some kind of glass. My security team found it during the sweep. My tracker found the actually shooter. His name is Eustace Fontaine."

Sookie was already using FIN to search through national databanks. It didn't take her long to find him. Sure enough, he had his face painted with the Dallas Cowboy colors just like thousands of other fans. He was wearing Caesar's jersey. He looked so mundane.

"I cannot be sure, but I believe the information he gave was legitimate."

The Queen looked up in confusion, "I do not understand. Wasn't he under your thrall?"

"No. Glamour is not a common ability to us."

That was interesting, but she filed it away for later.

"What he told me, he did so to fulfill our bargain. I wouldn't turn him in, and he would amend his target."

"I wasn't the target?" She asked.

"No, it was your brother, Oliver."

That made no sense. Sookie sat thinking through every single detail of the case. It all seemed connected, but yet the more she attempted to force all the pieces together, the less sense it made. She searched through obituaries and found a name that connected not to her, but the Superdome in some way. She found Trenton White. He had worked at the Superdome for close to sixty years until he finally retired two years ago. He died when his fishing boat capsized a few months back.

She had fallen for the most basic strategy in war, diversion. This was never about her. It wasn't a coup against her throne. The only murder that had mattered was one that never even gained her notice. His death was ruled an accident, but it was mere days before Ashley's attack and everything until the assassination attempt was done to distort the true aim.

It made so much sense that Sookie suddenly felt like the most moronic smart person ever. Sookie, had she looked at it from that angle, may have been able to prevent Molly Clarke's attack, or not. She still couldn't figure out how that might have helped their cause. It was sloppier than the first attack. After a quick search using the new information, a name came up, Kevin Dean Allen.

His date of termination coincided with the attack of Molly Clarke along with financial records that revealed inconsistencies beginning close to a year ago. Kevin Allen was definitely being paid by someone. He was a college student who worked maintenance at the Dome. He didn't come from money, but for the past few months before being fired, he had bought a new car, a motorcycle, and paid up his tuition in full. In his employee record, his manager noted that he suspected Mr. Allen had a drug problem because he conveniently overdosed a week after he was fired.

Kevin had been smuggling the rifle into the stadium piece-by-piece using whatever information they'd garnered from Trenton White. When he got fired, it threatened the entire operation. His termination at the stadium had to do with Molly's attack, but how?

Sookie rearranged the series of events over in her mind. If the goal was to gain access into stadium to assassinate Oliver, where did some young human female fit in? She had vetted the girl, all the way from her father, friends, her mailman, and to her favorite restaurant. No one had anything to do with the Superdome. She was either a distraction to distort the trail or she was a crucial part. After all, it was her attack that had drawn the Queen's attention.

Having no other choice, Sookie called Quincy Clarke. His phone was disconnected. She checked the roster and found that her sentries had been reassigned. If she didn't know her father better, Sookie might have been surprised by Felipe's actions. Such as it was, she let it go and focused on finding Quincy Clarke.

It took longer than normal because he knew how to hide. When she located him, he was at a gas station in Texas. He was clearly making a run for it. Her guess was Mexico. She didn't blame him. After all, the person he had trusted to find his daughter's attacker had been assassinated. Then the guards had been pulled.

Sookie couldn't fathom how afraid he was for his daughter. Running was what any sensible person would have done. It was a good idea for many, but for a pair that was being hunted by vampires, it was bad. Once they left the New World, they were automatically subjected to the rules of the Old. Sookie couldn't help them. She called the attendant at the station and asked for him.

"I need you to understand three things, Mr. Clarke," She said without preamble. "I am not dead. I am seriously pissed off, and very bad things happen to people who piss me off."

Maybe he saw the predator leak from her eyes. Maybe he realized that he couldn't protect his daughter alone. For whatever reason, he simply nodded, and turned his car around. She made plans to rendezvous with him at dark, which meant that she had to get moving now. It seemed so much like she wanted a hug from Eric, but when she looked up, she was still alone in her study with Grayson, and he was staring at her quizzically.

He said nothing, rather he rose to his feet, "My usefulness here has reached its end. I must be going now."

She grinned, "So you're not even going to apologize for getting me shot, poisoning me, and then attempting to force a blood bond on me?"

"Let it not go unsaid that I had you shot to prove to you that I could care for you even in your darkest hour," he said defensively.

Sookie supposed that was what she got for not being entirely honest. She should have guessed at his motives in wanting her so badly, but she was too busy hiding her own.

A look of confusion colored his face, "I asked the shooter to change targets and gave him alternative bullets, but I never poisoned you. It was quite the opposite. I coated the bullet in Nightshade to speed your healing. I also dosed you with it as you healed, but the damage to your body worsened no matter what I did."

"I'm part Fae," Sookie said.

He looked at her as if she had left her sentence unfinished.

"Nightshade is poison to me. That is why I wasn't getting better."

"Killing you was never-"

"I know," She replied.

He looked at her then, and she saw the vampire who had wished her a happy birthday when she was nothing but a robot.

"Forgive me."

"On one condition," she replied.

He arched a curious brow.

"If you forgive my slight."

He smiled, and even that seemed different due to its genuine nature.

They were silent for a while.

"What now?" The Queen finally asked.

She wanted to know if he was going to return to California forever. If she was being honest with herself, that wasn't what she wanted. Despite his less than noble behavior, she was still very much interested in learning about him and other hybrids.

"I will return home until such a time as I can justify the exposure of my people."

Sookie nodded. It was disappointing, but considering the disaster that had been averted, it was for the best. On the upside, she knew more about her physiology now than she had before she met him. Nightshade was poisonous to her, but not for them, what else was different? That was just the first question in her mind, but she had a dozen others.

How the hell could Grayson teleport? Was he the only one? That was unheard of for vampires, but then again, so was day walking. He was both. There was so much that she didn't know about them and by proxy, herself. Could she have children? If so, what would they be if their father was human? They would have to go unanswered. It wasn't like she didn't have more important things to focus on.

The Queen was walking Grayson out when Freyda found them. She was committing several crimes against proper etiquette, but Sookie said nothing. If the look on Grayson's face was any indication, he was about to lose it. When Freyda began talking with her mouth full of cheesy bacon fries, he did just that.

"Do you have nowhere else to be?"

She nodded, licking her fingers clean while she offered him her plate, "Want some?"

The King of Three actually cringed as he took a step back from the offerings.

"You are disgusting even for a human—"

Freyda stuck a cheesy French Fry into Grayson's open mouth. He gagged and choked, and she laughed. Sookie turned to hide her smile. This was a case of instant karma if she ever saw one. This was either the beginning of something beautiful, or really fucked up. If she was a gambler, her money would be on both.

Sookie left to find Eric rather than find out. She found him in her study. He had brought her lunch. She was hungry, but she wanted his touch more. The fact that he smelled like another woman, even though that woman was Freyda, took nothing away from the overwhelming joy being in his arms brought her.

"Long day?" Eric asked, kissing her head.

"It isn't even close to first dark and I'm wishing for dawn," Sookie grumbled.

He held her until it all fell away. He held her until everything else fell away, but him and her. She hugged him tighter.

"Alright, I'll share my fries, but not my potato chips."

Sookie laughed. Eric always knew when he needed to be a hard ass, a silent supporter, or to give a kind word. He could do all of that and be all of that, without her having to ask. It was one of the things she had taken for granted until it was gone.

She still ate his fries and some of his potato chips and snuck in a quickie.


	41. Chapter 41

"Remind me again why I should be okay with this?" Eric asked.

Sookie sighed. The day had been not as horrible as she had anticipated. She had eaten at the same table with Eric, Grayson, and Freyda. The former witch Queen was torturing the King, so it had been amusing. It was now time for her to get back to work and in true form, Eric was giving her hell.

"You're human," Freyda offered though no one asked her.

"Yes, and so is she. That wouldn't be a problem, except Pam is here, and she is undead. She won't care that Freyda is human."

In fact, Sookie thought that that fact would make Pam smile.

"She'll attack on sight. The only one that can stop her is you, Eric."

"I can protect her," Grayson offered.

Why he was still here, Sookie had no idea. At this point, she wasn't sure if he enjoyed Freyda terrorizing him, or what. For whatever reason, the King of Three was still in her palace.

"The Raven will fight and one of you will end up hurt," Sookie clarified. "A blood offense is the last thing that either of us needs on our hands at the moment."

As someone who had once hated the witch Queen with a vengeance, she knew that Pam probably hated her more. Sookie had thought it through. There was no way to leave Freyda here with Pam and not risk an altercation. No one could mitigate it the way Eric could. That was one of the reasons she didn't want him with her.

The main reason was that she didn't want him in harm's way. It wasn't so much that he was human. Sookie had watched him move, he hadn't lost that predatory grace. Play fighting with him was something she had done in their past life and this one. It was only his power that had changed, he still fought the same way. Sometimes when he lost himself, she swore that she could feel his telekinetic ability flare, but she had never seen full proof.

So no, she wasn't worried about having Eric near her during a fire fight. What scared her was Sai. The Queen was teaming up with her brother for the night that they would unleash hell on her enemies. She didn't trust Sai not to hurt or toss a stray dagger Eric's way, not to kill, but to cause him pain. Sai was a real asshole that way as someone who irritated him the most, she would know.

"I'll go to California with Gray and Eric can go with you. Pam will do…whatever she does," Freyda offered.

"Like hell!" Eric snapped. "You're not going anywhere with King Kidnapper!"

"Oh, shut up!" Freyda replied hotly. "I was only trying to help, but now I'm going just because you think you can still tell me what to do."

Grayson showed the slightest hint of fang. He looked even more dangerous than he had the day he confronted her in Eric's apartment.

"I did not invite you," Grayson said.

"I didn't need an invitation the first time and I'm not asking now!" she barked at him.

The resemblance was uncanny. She looked exactly like the witch Queen, save for the color of her eyes. They didn't darken. They went from jade green to something harder. Freyda rose to her feet and began making her way to the door. Like Eric, she exuded the same predatory grace and with her ire, it was more blatant.

Eric followed after her and he looked exasperated, much like a parent with small a child. He could be heard trying to rationalize with her about all the reasons why going with Grayson was a bad idea. The King of Three looked bemused as if he couldn't imagine how he ever found himself in such a quandary. She smiled. That was a very common occurrence when people spent enough time around her.

"She is…" Grayson said.

He looked furious and confused.

"It is strange. Many of my best friends in life have been human, you have to understand." He implored.

Sookie smiled and nodded.

"Be that as it may I am having a difficult time not snapping her insufferable neck. She could very well be the worst hostage in history—not that I have much experience. She never stopped talking, not even when she was shoveling food into her big mouth!"

That was it! Sookie fell out laughing and once she started, she just couldn't seem to stop! She was laughing so hard she could barely breathe! Tears were pouring out of her eyes. This was all so incredibly bizarre! It was as if Grayson suddenly realized to whom he was complaining, and just exactly about what he was complaining! If there was anyone who should have a difficult time _not_ killing human Freyda, it was Sookie!

"At least she didn't steal your husband, or try to kill you…" Sookie said between laughing bursts.

As if that wasn't enough, Freyda was here while Sookie tried to right the wrongs of her past. She hadn't just come along during the reincarnation. Freyda was a crucial part of Eric's life although it was more positive than the last time. She was his best friend and first wife. Honestly, this sort of thing would only happen to her! It only made her laugh all the harder!

Grayson covered his face with his hands, fisted them in his hair, and growled. It seemed to be in equal parts frustrated and playful. However the sound of pure hostility ended on a laugh. That was how she knew the King hadn't wanted her any more than she had wanted him. In this moment of utter confusion they shared, it was the first time she had heard him genuinely laugh.

In this moment, it appeared that the King of Three was truly happy. No matter how stubbornly he had pursued her and how much he claimed to care for her, she had never heard him laugh. They were sharing it over something so unexpected! Seriously, this kind of thing would only happen to her! On the heel of that thought came another, Caspian was right… All those years ago, he had told her she would get here…

_"…'__One day we'll laugh about how this felt worse than it actually was.'"_ He'd told her.

She had been waiting for her big brother to come collect her from Caspian's care. It wasn't because she wanted to live, it was because she didn't want to hurt her best friend anymore. She could remember it so clearly now, the eggshell color of her faculty dorm room, the humidity of late afternoon in Florida, the feel of Caspian holding her hand, and the listlessness in her every cell.

Sookie had been so broken, so hopeless, that she didn't have the strength to beg him for death. She had taken his embrace, but had no faith in his words. Cas had fought them to keep her alive. He had been able to see. He had held on knowing and hoping that she could get here. Here she was, laughing with a hybrid vampire King.

In the end, Freyda went with Grayson, not that she gave him much choice. Sookie thought that Eric would accompany them just until he was sure of the King, but he simply shrugged.

"I don't want Pam to wake up alone," he said. "Plus, I have to let go of Free. She is better. Part of her getting better means letting go."

Sookie smiled. "I promise. He won't hurt her. If he does—"

"You'll hurt him worse." He concluded.

Sookie hadn't been expecting Eric to trust her so fully with Freyda's life. He had and all she could do was nod but she knew of his ulterior motives.

"You know Freyda will torture him, and he can't touch her without risking open war with me."

Eric's only response was a smile. In a word, it was devilish. He kissed her lips chastely, and even that was enough to make her head swim.

"Hurry home."

He had called her palace home. That thought put a smile on her face as she headed out.

The shift in Sookie's mind had always been so instantaneous during those first months home after her banishment. Sookie could so easily vacillate between all factions of herself without notice. When she had been the robot, she had been just that. This, what felt like her normal self was twisted into knots when she got behind the wheel of her car. Her heart just refused to let her detach while she left her palace.

Understandably, it was the first time Sookie was leaving Eric since the truth had come to light. It had nothing to do with his species, rather, it was in him. Clear as day, she could see the swagger of the thousand-year-old Viking in his stillness. She could hear the vampire sheriff superciliousness in his silence. More than anything she felt their never-ending love in his kiss goodbye.

It made her want to say so much, not because she was afraid that she didn't have forever, but because he still stole her breath, made her heart skip a beat, and made her feel accepted.

"Where's Nim?" Sookie asked Sai.

"The King has other business," He replied.

That was answer enough. Nim went with. She hadn't been expecting too much trouble on this hunt. All she had was Sai, two of his psychos from the Flush, and her top ten captains. That was depressing for so many reasons, none of which had to do with her soldiers. It was because Sai was a dick.

"Where?"

He slapped her upside her head, hard.

"Ow, Jerk! Unlike you, I have a brain in there, you know!"

"Focus on the task at hand. I'm not going to be watching and wiping your ass the entire way!"

It has been a long time since they'd communicated this way. Naturally she couldn't resist taunting her him further. There was a smile on her face as Sookie rubbed her head to soothe the ache. Her brother was a heavy-handed bastard.

"You realize I'm a Queen."

He moved to slap her again, but Sookie was already out of the way.

"Let's go," he replied, clearly satisfied with her reflexive ability.

The Queen found her center as she gave her soldier their orders. Sai had come with only two of his fighters and they would flank them. The aim was to get her shooter and his friends alive. This plot was thicker than Grayson knew. Sookie knew that it went deeper than weakening Ginny's rule.

The attack was well-coordinated and smooth. They infiltrated the abandoned apartment building silently as whispers on the wind, but something was wrong. Of all the thermal targets within, none of them were moving. There was no way they could be this sloppy, if they had been, they wouldn't have lasted this long.

"Retreat," Sookie ordered.

Sai hesitated and she grabbed him by his arm, and shook her head. He stopped. More troubling than the silence was the fact that she couldn't read the minds of the people at the heart of the decrepit seaside dump. She was in range to do so, but their minds weren't silent, just blocked. She could get in and scramble them, but she needed information. She told her brother as much.

"I also can't get a read of weapons signatures," She told Sai. "They're using a scrambler or they are sticking with old school weaponry."

"We burn it down," Jack offered.

That was always how Jack wanted to deal with issues. He was a bit of a 'fire fly'. In this instance it wouldn't serve the purpose. The Queen shook her head. Her would-be assailant was holed up there. He had risked lingering instead of vanishing. He had no plans on dying where he was. She needed to find out why. With all the trouble he had gone through he must think he would survive. She needed him to. Her brother's psychotic minion would not change that.

"I will go in alone."

Sai arched a brow, but said nothing. It was clear to her that he wanted to, but he waited to hear the rest of her plan.

"I'll attempt to garner information. When they feel secure in their numbers and whatever contingency plans they have made, they will be more likely to talk. I can read their interior schematics better from in there."

"Heidi, take Jack and the general," Sai ordered. "Find their exit and close it…Jack, give me your pack."

The vampire frowned and shrugged off his jacket. The fact that Sookie saw and smelled nothing by way of explosives was alarming enough.

"All of them." Sai hissed.

The vampire slipped out of his boots and disappeared with a pair into the dark.

"I want prisoners," Sookie reminded. "But I need Eustace Fontaine."

By the way Grayson had so easily reassigned him a target, he wasn't loyal to whatever the cause was. She needed him. While she had answered so many questions, one still remained, who? She didn't know, but somehow this plot felt bigger than she thought she could solve just by exterminating a building full of hateful humans.

Having received their orders, Heidi, Jack and Bishop vanished.

"When it goes bad?" Sai asked, because it undoubtedly would. "What then?"

"Carter," Sookie called. "He will burn that fucker down, using thermal coded grenades, of course."

"Your temperature does not differ greatly from humans," Sai reminded her in Arabic.

"It is enough," Sookie replied.

Once the grenades hit, she didn't want to be in the building. In the event that she was, she liked her odds. She was fast. Her physical power wasn't astounding, but the building was condemned. That meant she could punch her way through any wall. She proceeded to shed much of her weaponry and her leather jacket to hasten her speed in case of the worst case scenario.

The Queen had expected more resistance from her brother, but he just watched her. He helped her unstrap her vest and took the bulk of weaponry that she discarded.

"I will run orbit," Sai said. "If you cannot fly, fall."

He would catch her, he didn't say it but it was in his easy acquiescence. Not once had he ever agreed with her plans without at least a dirty look. He finally trusted her. They were having a bonding moment. It was as if Sai could read her thoughts because he slapped her upside her head to rid her of the offensive notion.

"Your left hand—"

"Is shit," Sookie concluded for him. "Yeah…yeah. I got it."

It wasn't like she hasn't been hearing it her whole life.

The building was as dank on the inside as the outside. Sookie walked in and went as far as she could without setting off any nasty surprises.

"I'm not angry that you insects thought to attempt to take out a Queen," Sookie called out. "I'm mad at the unimaginative means. It was fucking insulting. Even more so was the fact that you thought you succeeded."

The Queen inched further into the room. She threw a dagger and hit the artfully hidden trap ahead of her. There was a blast of wooden stakes and silver. She watched it from a safe distance.

"You think you how to inflict pain?" She sneered, moving deeper into the dark. "You think you know how to dole out death?"

She laughed, but it held no amusement. Rather it was empty. It matched the predator who was boiling over the surface, sharpening her senses, and heightening her killer instinct.

"You don't."

Sookie knew she was getting closer to where they were held up.

"That isn't what you should fear. I don't plan on killing anyone of you not for a long, long time."

Sookie thought that FIN would be able to hack into something once he was closer, but her Holo had nothing. That meant that they weren't even using radios to communicate. It left her deaf and blind. All FIN did was repeatedly inform her of the structural hazards of the condemned building and weapon signatures, but other than that, he wasn't of much use.

She walked on, avoiding or disarming booby-traps as she went. Sookie still couldn't read the minds of the humans whom she was ready to ambush. She could count their numbers and account for their location. That wasn't all. She could hear the thudding of their hearts and their breathing as she moved in closer. They were all calm, at least that was what their heart rates suggested, but she could smell fear. It made her fangs ache. That meant that they had to be on some kind of drugs, or expert training to fool acute vampire senses.

"That being said, I do not enjoy killing humans even those that have earned death at my hands. It is not sporting. So, I make this offer, the first person to surrender will receive a full royal pardon."

Several things happened at once. The most powerful was the floor rumbling and a vast part of the ceiling collapsing. Jack, hadn't given up all his toys it seemed. In the same fraction of time, gunshots and shouting rang out. Her right arm was rendered useless by a stray bullet. She hissed more out of anger than pain. If she never saw another gun again, it would be too soon.

A female body landed on top of hers and it was accompanied by the cold of steel. The Queen wasn't faster than a speeding bullet. At this range, she wouldn't survive a gunshot wound to the skull. .

"I get the deal!" She said with his hands over her eyes.

Sookie tried to enter her mind but found that she couldn't. It only made her tighten her hold, which for a human was tight.

"They are not Day Breakers. Day Breakers are not for pay. New York sent them."

"Day Breakers are a myth." Sookie replied calmly.

"Sweetheart if this was a different day, I would prove you wrong."

The time to be still had passed. This woman was going to put her out. Sookie swatted the gun out of her hands and got the satisfaction of hearing her wrist crack. She shoved he off but not before she felt the sting of something in her shoulder. "Bitch, you want to kill me. You need a fucking army." She spat, springing to her feet.

"Don't need one."

The voice sounded so far away and so distorted. Poison. Sookie clawed through the chaos but it was reigning in full now. It was making it doubly hard to enter the humans mind. She couldn't find it never mind break it. She was attempting to call Sai to her mentally but her mental faculties seemed to be having a seizure. No thought stuck, no function was smooth. Her knees wobbled and her sight failed. She felt the weight of her killer on her chest. She kept calling Sai.

"Now where were we?"

Sookie smiled as the darkness seemed to grow darker under her big brother's shadow. She got to see as Sai's fist almost connected fully with her head. The woman was gone. The bitch left a knife in her neck. It would have killed her immediately if she was human. The next thing she knew was cradled Sai's lap.

"Stupid!" He hissed.

The Queen suffered a moment of disorientation courtesy of her brother renewing her concussion by flinging her off him. The abandoned building had been leveled. There were prisoners but when she looked none of them were female.

Of the very few human casualties, Eustace Fontaine was one of them. Sai was going to take the rest to Vegas and introduce them to the Flush but she knew that it would yield nothing. The only real clue came from the single survivor of the raid. These captive would claim to be Day Breakers but they weren't. In fact she was sure that the female was a Day Breaker and was sent here to neutralize this posers that would have brought unwanted attention to their organization.

The Day Breakers were nothing like lowly drainers or random humans with crossbows and silver. The faction began as a militant unit of 'The Fellowship Of The Sun'. They believed vampires would one day overrun the world and destroy humanity. It wasn't worth informing them that vampires were not that short sighted.

They were fueled by hate like their parent group. Their views and acts of violence had gotten so extreme that the church had long broken ties with them. It was assumed that without the religious bank roll that sect would die out. That was why they were believed to be a myth.

They were not, it seemed. It explained why someone would want to slay a Queen and use their name. It would give the ghost a name, a face. Unfortunately for the amateur wannabe's the ghost did not want to be named at least not yet.

"Release them." Sookie ordered.

Joan, The Arcadian was the interrogator of the royal flush seemed not to hear. It didn't matter to her that the humans were already pissing their pants. Whatever immunity to telepathy they had displayed moments ago was gone now. Sookie was getting their every thought. It was all full of panic. The only useful thing she found was the last piece of her puzzle.

Molly Clarke was nothing but an unknowing mule. Before he was killed, Kevin Dean Allen had planted evidence of his acts and everything he knew of his accomplices on her person. They found out about his policy and used her attack to cover the recovery of said proof. That was why Sookie couldn't find a connection, there wasn't one.

"Sai, they don't know anything."  
"That is not for you to decide." He said.

Sookie knew that she couldn't argue. He didn't sound like her big brother but the sheriff. "You are welcome to oversee their interrogation or go home. Your father will handle New York."

The night had been longer than she liked. It hadn't answered all her questions but for now, it was enough. The Queen returned to her palace. Her troubles would keep for another day.


	42. Chapter 42

Her palace was empty upon her return. The Queen knew it the instant she arrived at the gates. None of the uneasiness or lingering pain waned as it should have if Eric had been present. He wasn't here and neither was Pam. Before fear could fully root in her gut, she caught a familiar scent.

One trail was her father's and other was her favorite big brother Nim. They had been here perhaps half a day ago while she was with Sai. Thankfully, she had a message from her father in crisp, clear Spanish. It wasn't detailed, but it was enough to ease her panic.

Felipe simply said, "When you get this, come home."

Just like Sai could slap her upside her head like she was nothing but the runt of the litter, her father could summon her without notice. He didn't do so often, but when he did, she knew better than to make him wait. Sookie turned back toward the car with a confused Bill Compton trailing her.

"Sookie," he called. "Is something wrong?"

She shook her head.

"Stay the course," she told him. "I will return as soon as I am able."

He followed her and placed a hand on her shoulder. They were alone, and so he could take such liberties as he did calling her by her name.

"I do not understand," he said, dropping his hand. "What of the press conference? How am I to face your generals, your soldiers, your citizens, and the whole world? They are all expecting you. What am I to say?"

Sookie didn't know and she didn't care. Still, she tried to remember that this wasn't an underling, this was William Compton. He had been with her father before her mother was born. He had kept her safe even when she didn't know him or herself. He had done it all at great threat to his personal safety. Time after time, his loyalty had been tested and never had he wavered. That was not something that she could ever forget. More than unforgettable, loyalty of that type was irreplaceable.

"Do only what you have to," she commanded him.

There were no more words. Bill took the necessary steps back to relegate himself to a respectful distance. He nodded respectfully, and she knew that the investigator had returned. He opened the door and she entered. The drive to the private runway was short. She had called everyone in her family, but no one was available.

It shouldn't be shocking to see her father's jet on the tarmac. She wasn't even going to ask how he managed to get in and out without her people reporting to her beforehand. When she boarded she found the same staff that had been ferrying her all over the world since she was a baby. There was a feeling of familiarity, but not comfort. Something told her that she wouldn't like what she found at the end of this trip. The same something told her that attempting to call ahead would yield nothing.

Felipe wanted her home and that would be the only way to get answers. She felt as if she had some idea why, but that only added to her anxiety. The last time they had spoken…it had been raw. They had both laid bare their fears. Perhaps they had been too honest. Even as she reflected on the conversation, she couldn't believe it, but it was the truth.

The Queen was willing to sacrifice her forever for a chance at even a year with her mate. The choice would be easy if she alone would be paying the price. That wasn't the case, and so it wasn't easy. Sookie was the last beat of Felipe's heart and his soul. That was what made her his most prized and beloved possession, not her intellect. He wouldn't live without her. He had made that painfully clear. Was that why he had come to take Eric? She didn't know.

When she tried to think of all the possible reasons, nothing made sense. During the entire trip, her mind spun. Her stomach began doing much of the same as the car cleared the gates of the main estate. On the front porch Felipe was waiting, leaning against the railing as if he was awaiting a bus. She was out of the car before it fully come to a stop.

"Hi, Daddy," she greeted.

He held his arms open and she walked into them and sagged, feeling her worry and exhaustion fade almost entirely.

"You are tired," he murmured into her hair.

She shook her head as she fought a yawn.

He smiled as if he could see it.

"Eat and go to sleep. I will bring you up to speed later."

She nodded, but first things first, she wanted to see Eric, and then find out how and why her father had brought him here, to a place where all but blood was forbidden.

She had planned on that, but she couldn't. She needed to know why he asked her here, "I can wait. It's not even dawn."

He pushed her hair from her face, and fixed the collar of her jacket before releasing her completely. Taking her hand, he led the way into the house. She should question him, but then that ease swept over her as she stepped over the threshold. Eric was here and he was fine. It took worry that she didn't know she was feeling and laid it to rest.

"I have something for you," he announced.

Before she could ask, another scent caught her attention. It was entirely foreign and not at all human. Scent wasn't her strongest suit, so she couldn't place the species.

"I found a solution to our problem," Felipe said.

Hope, it was a wild, reckless, kind of hope that she wasn't even aware still lived. It roared to the surface with a force that left her speechless. She gaped at her father, wondering if she was dreaming. He wasn't. A tiny demon walked into the room. It looked like an elderly child if that made any sense. Its skin was finely-lined, but its eyes were big, and its body was ambiguous like that of a child.

Behind the demon was a vampire that The Queen knew very well, Saul. If by some chance she may have confused the Samoan Salesman, his clothes were loud as always. The neon orange trousers and yellow pea coat seemed to glimmer under the chandelier.

"You told me you didn't have anything," The Queen said, eyeing the Salesman menacingly.

"Correction, Majesty," he said with a deep bow. "I said, 'I have nothing that would help you.' Your father however; is a different story."

"He owes me for your mother," Felipe replied. "She was already carrying you when I bought her and he failed to note that. He withheld the one thing that could help you because it was the only thing that would clear his ledger with me."

"I want you to know that you are banned from-"

Felipe raised his hand, and Sookie fell silent. It was done so forcefully that her jaw hurt from her fangs clashing with her teeth.

"You cannot ban him from setting up shop at your games, it was one of his conditions."

Sookie was out of her seat with her hands around Saul's neck. It rankled that this was as close she would ever get to hurting him.

"Put him down," Felipe said with a mildly irritated furrow of his brow.

Sookie didn't relent. She brought herself almost nose to nose with Saul. She had always found him charming, but in this moment she could rip his heart out and not care. He had withheld something as vital as air from her. She hated that she understood his logic, but it wouldn't keep her from hurting him.

"Save having to buy him a new rug," she hissed. "I will suffer no consequence for ripping off your head!"

"I am a business man. You are one of my favorite customers, but this was personal. I needed to balance my ledger," Saul replied. He wasn't panicked, and that was just fucking irritating. "If you were me and owed The Spaniard, what wouldn't you do?"

She agreed, but still. She tightened her hold.

"The other caveat is that you or your blood are forbidden to harass, antagonize, or other way do him harm because of this single act."

Sookie snarled viciously and flung the Salesman. He fell into a chair and both went slamming into the wall. The tiny demon let out an ear-splitting shriek in alarm and ducked out of the way.

"Manners, eh, Mija?" Felipe called out in a poor imitation of reproach. "Saul is a guest."

She turned to Saul and offered a nod, "I am sorry you tripped."

The Salesman got to his feet, righted his clothes, and nodded in return, "I will be more careful in the future."

The Queen reclaimed her seat beside her father. She waited for what felt like forever for Saul to bring the demon around. When it had stopped whimpering and crying, he faced her.

"She is a Shade," Saul proclaimed. By his tone, it was clear that Sookie should know what that was, and that she should be very much impressed. She was neither.

"They are a rare breed of demon and Angel. They are light and dark and so they can walk in all the worlds, including the under and nether realms," Felipe explained. "She can link your mate's life to yours."

It was if the whole world stopped spinning, she was brought up so short. "What are the risks?" The Queen asked.

Magic, like all things, had a price. If there was anything that the reincarnation spell of her biological father had shown her, it was that. Fintan hadn't known the cost of bringing Eric back, but she needed to know the cost of trying to keep him longer than a human lifetime. Her fear wasn't based on fear for herself. She refused to do anything that would risk Eric's life. Nothing was worth that. She would take the pain that waited at the end of this one last life with him, but she could never do anything to jeopardize it.

"The exchange is tricky," The demon said from behind Saul's back. "Like throwing stones in a pot; it is impossible to say who will end up with what."

The Queen believed her words just because they had lost their mousy veneer. The demon sounded so sure.

"You are gifted and so was he in his last life, though he isn't now. So you could exchange abilities with him, share them with him, or lose them to him entirely."

The Queen softened her voice as she addressed the demon. She didn't want to frighten her. "What else is there?"

"I see in him. Your love goes hand in hand with your doom and the same is true for him." she said. "The pair of you will most likely be stronger apart. Depending on how strong you are, it may be noticeable or not."

She shrugged and splayed her hands. That was not at all comforting but the temptation was there.

"On the upside," Saul chimed in. "Both of you have to be killed at the same time, otherwise you remain as you are and that includes a full decapitation."

"You have done this before?" Sookie asked, hopefully.

The demon nodded.

"It was successful?" Sookie qualified. "Both parties survived?"

"No," the demon replied.

At the same time Saul said, "Yes."

"They survived the procedure," The Salesman qualified, hastily.

"He didn't love her. He loved power and he ended up with all the power." The demon explained.

There was another shrug.

Sookie eyed the demon and she nodded, but didn't look up entirely. The Queen may not be able to read the minds of those in the room, but she knew when someone was lying to her. That wasn't the vibe she was getting. Rather it was more like she was being hustled into a short sale. What she was hearing was the truth, but not all of it.

The Queen's suspicions were proven not by the silence of those in the room, but by her eagerness to jump for joy to accept these terms. Already her want was smothering her reason. She wanted this to be the miracle she had given up on. She would give anything for Eric. In their time together, any of her inherent abilities were nothing. There was only thing that she wouldn't give and something told her that that was the real cost.

"Leave us," Sookie said as calmly as she could manage.

In truth, her body was shaking with fury and it was directed at her father. Wordlessly, Saul left and he took his demon with him. It wasn't until Sookie was sure they were out of the house did she turn on her father.

"How could you?" She hissed. "You would have let me do this, knowing what it would cost me, knowing what I would turn into!"

Felipe cut his eyes at her in way that told her that she was being ridiculous, "Part of melding his life force to yours means that the half of your soul that is in him would be returned. So even if the procedure is only partially successful and Eric does not survive, you-"

She would be made whole again. That was what her father cared about. The sad thing was that she shouldn't be shocked, but she was. He was just so…callous and cold in his devotion to her. He would do anything for her and wouldn't care about the cost, not even to her. She knew that she shouldn't be angry at his bottom line, but this was about her Eric! She couldn't control the rage that was roiling with blinding potency in the back of her skull. The Queen rose from her seat to distance herself from her father.

"I will not entertain this," she said, shaking her head in denial, but he refused to relent.

"You would be able to move on-"

"No."

"You would grieve, but it would not steal your life or break your soul."

"I said, no!" she yelled. "Make them go or I swear I will kill them both if only put an end to this."

Not once in her life had she ever talked to her father like this. Not once had she threatened to kill out of anger. Felipe stopped and stared at her for a long moment. It wasn't defeat or acceptance. He was waiting for her to check her tone and her attitude.

"It isn't just about you so the decision isn't yours alone," The King said.

In that moment, The Queen was ready to do as she threatened. She would risk the word of her father, meaning nothing to vampire everywhere. She was ready to defy him. She would commit coldblooded murder. She had made her peace, but suddenly Nim was in front of her father and Sai was blocking the door out of the room.

"This is the only way. Eric agrees with me," Felipe continued. "That was why he came willingly. He is willing to take that risk, to die for you."

Sookie couldn't think of a time when she had ever been this furious with her father. He had lured her into this trap. If she thought he underestimated her devotion and love for her mate it would ebb her anger, it didn't.

Felipe knew. Instead of contending with that, he had added a force that was equally powerful, her mate's love for her. He had counted on Eric risking his life to free her from the consequences of his end or binding his life to hers. Either way her father got what he wanted. It was so…she didn't even have the words!

Sookie never wanted to be in a world where Eric wasn't the man who made her smile. For her, there was him or nothing, and no one else. To try had led to nothing but emptiness. Losing a part of herself when she had lost him felt natural now that she was faced with an alternative. This, it was worse, so much worse than her fear of the void that would swallow her whole.

The thought that Sookie could just go on after him and be okay felt like a shroud over all that they had been through. How could she love and belong to one man so completely and then just… Not and then be happy? She could never imagine moving on. She just couldn't. He was a part of her and for better or for the absolute worse, she didn't want to be without him.

"Daddy, please," she begged. "Leave it alone."

Felipe stared at her and with the softening of his eyes she knew the fight was over, but not the war. He came over and cupped her face in his hands. In vain, he smoothed her hair back, but had never fallen to his satisfaction since she was a toddler.

"Sai said you were hurt," he murmured, holding her baby hairs back with a pin. "Feed, eat, and rest, you are pale."

Then he walked away. No, it was definitely not over. The King was letting it go because he had taken her greatest weakness and pitted against her. He wouldn't waste his time or words, not when he knew that she would have to fight Eric.

Sookie was expecting an ambush when she found Eric. She had downed blood and eaten, feeling like she would need to be on her toes. What she found was her heaven. Eric was in the bedroom, the one she had been sleeping in since she was a little girl. Her father may have let him in here for full effect, but she doubted that even he knew how much the image resonated within her.

She was caught between joy and sorrow. When she had gotten her memories back so many years after being cursed, she would have given anything to have her husband here in the heart of her home. This was what she always wanted for him, to be accepted by her family. He was at the family stronghold.

It couldn't be any more perfect. That wasn't true, it could. She wished like hell she could forget what had brought Eric here, he had come to die for her. Unable to help herself she ran her fingers through his hair, brushing it from his handsome face. Unable to resist, she caressed his face. He stirred with a crooked smile, leaning into her touch before his eyes blinked.

"Hands off the merchandise," He teased.

The Queen laughed, but the sound of it was empty to her ears and made her heart hurt. "Can the merchandise at least pick a side of the bed?"

He didn't. He pulled her down, held her so close and so tight that she wanted to cry. This wasn't manipulation. This was Eric. He missed her. He had been worried and he was happy to have her in his arms again. All of that she could feel in his embrace. She laced their fingers and was helpless not to relax in his arms. In no time her lids shut against her will.


	43. Chapter 43

**Chapter 43/ Epilogue**

Food. That one word permeated her dreamless sleep and managed to wake her. It was that, and the fact that she was alone in bed. She shot up in a sudden panic, looking for Eric. He was headed back into the bedroom and she almost knocked him over.

"What's wrong?" He asked, steadying her.

It took effort to slow her panic, but she managed. "Nothing, excuse me."

Sookie ran into the bathroom. Even before her last word faded, she knew that Eric didn't believe her. It was cowardly, but she just didn't want to have that impossible conversation. A shower was a must to clear her thoughts. It also afforded her time to come up with counter arguments. In fact, she could control the conversation and steer it into her trip out of state. If she was lucky, she could distract him even further so that the subject never came up.

It was a long shot. No one knew her like Eric. He knew when she was lying, when she was hiding, and he never let her get away with either. She certainly couldn't stay in the shower forever. That thought was sobering, because Eric didn't have forever. He had a single human lifetime; no, they had a single lifetime.

There was no more fear, Sookie realized. Knowing that she didn't have forever made the Queen accept the truth in loving Eric, no measure of time would be enough for all the ways she wanted to love him, not even eternity.

When the Queen emerged, the servers were leaving. It was early for dinner, but seeing she hadn't eaten for almost a full day she was ravenous. She dressed herself as quickly as possible and him. From the moment she occupied her chair, it felt like falling into a routine that was as crucial as walking and taking. They were silent, but it wasn't uncomfortable, only a little tense. They ate and he was finished long before her. He just watched with a ghost of smile curving his lips. It didn't make her self-conscious as she continued to stuff her face either.

Sookie downed her juice, but when she reached for the bottle of Royalty Blended, Eric winced. It was barely noticeable. Her first thought was that he was still harboring symptoms of his vampire allergy. It would be understandable even though he had let her bite him. She still hadn't drunk blood in his presence. Yet, he didn't look disgusted. He seemed torn for a moment and then resolute, but he remained quiet a while longer.

"Your Blood was spiked with a sedative," he said, eyeing her.

The Queen went perfectly still for a full minute. In that time, she was thinking of all the people, and all the ways that this could have come about. There was only one person and there was only one reason for this. Felipe always played to win, the more valuable the prize, the dirtier he fought.

More infuriating than that was the fact that Eric who was a hated enemy by her Line was now an accomplice. For all the things her father could do, this was so unbelievably low. Again she shouldn't be surprised.

"FIN-"

"Calm down," Eric said in that rich velvety voice that always made her see reason when she was being stubborn, it always calmed her and it made her see clearly.

It wasn't as effective as before, not this time, not when it was his life on the line. He had a hold of her wrist, knowing that she was about to lose her shit.

"You're pissed that I agreed, but ask me why."

"No!" She snapped, yanking her hand from his hold. "I don't care. He had no right! You had no right! FIN, help!"

The Holo was nowhere to be seen or heard. Obviously he was manually forced off line as part of this plot. Sookie thought through every protocol to get her assistant back on line. Her mind wasn't at its clearest. She was panicked. Eric, however looked cool as a cucumber.

Sookie wanted to fight but she couldn't fight Eric, ever again. She wanted to fight her own stupidity because clearly she was helpless to it. She had been so busy focusing on her father and his counter moves that she never saw this coming. She should have.

The Queen snarled at nothing in general.

"You realize he doesn't like you?" She fired at him. "If you die, he won't care, especially if it means severing a bond he never approved of in the first place!"

He shook his head, "You are vampire, but not fully. So I don't think you really understand what that means and how it dictates so many aspects of who you are. It may be because of your age or upbringing. I don't know. Regardless of what it is, I don't think you get it."

"Says the human, to the vampire Queen of Three," She scoffed.

"Yes, because said human was older than said Queen's father in his past life," He replied. He let out a derisive chuckle, probably because he realized how messed up that was.

"Just…stop!" She snapped. She needed to think and already she could feel her mind fogging.

"I never told you about the night I met you because I…I was confused and a bit ashamed."

That gave her reason to pause. This was something he had never spoken of and she couldn't imagine why it would shame him.

"It was just another night at the office for me. I was chasing drainers and fighting Werewolves with Thalia. Then I was just gone, utterly, and completely lost to you. That connection was rooted to my core. Your smile defined my joy. Your touch was pleasure unbound. It didn't change me though, being mated to you; loving you didn't suddenly make me develop empathy for all humans or blonde haired, fiery, telepathic, amnesiac women or bar maids."

She shot him a dirty look but in true Eric form, he continued, ignoring her ire.

"For all the bone deep emotions you ignited within me, it was solely for you, and you alone and to me, you are everything."

Sookie felt like crying because beautiful as his words were, she knew what he was going to ask her to do this. She couldn't. Why couldn't he see that? Why couldn't her father? Hell, why couldn't anyone?

"It is the same for Felipe because you are his daughter. For you to think that he would give a shit about me when your life hangs in the balance is well…stupid. Risking my life to save yours is an acceptable loss. In this one thing we agree—"

"I'm not listening to this," Sookie asserted, getting to her feet. "FIN! Goddammit!"

"I didn't ask your permission because I don't need it, not for this, not to save you." Eric said. "You understand the difference between sacrifice and loss, and so do I. This is my sacrifice to make and if you know anything else about me, it is that I don't care about much but what I care for, I will die for. Death didn't take that from me and neither can you."

Sookie turned to face him and his expression left her frozen where she stood. It was one of grim acceptance and single-minded purpose.

"You would do the same exact thing for me, wouldn't you?"

She refused to answer him. To do so would be to sign his death warrant. She refused.

"Wouldn't you?" he repeated.

Sookie needed to get out of here. She needed air. She took a step, but for some reason her legs felt like mountains. Her vision wavered. The room lost its focus. Her knees went weak and buckled, but he caught her before she could fall.

"I love you, Sookie. I'd die a thousand deaths for you."

Sacrificing himself for her was something that he'd never have her permission to do. If the tables were turned, he would never allow her to do the same. In fact, he would do something just like this; something highhanded and guaranteed to insure her safety, no matter what she had to say about it. He would insure that his sacrifice would give her her best chance.

Sookie tried to keep her eyes open, but she couldn't. As he pressed his lips to hers, all she could think of was the stark inevitability of the veil coming to take her beloved. The last thing she saw was her eldest brother and the tiny demon.

"Ow…"

The Queen of Three felt like someone had turned her inside out through her nose, everything hurt. Trying to move only made it worse, so she stopped and tried to get her bearings. It wasn't easy. It felt as if she had a thousand people in her skull. She had lost her shields. She tried to focus, but that natural barrier was gone. Her face hadn't hurt this bad since the day her fangs came in.

"Daddy…" she called.

He didn't answer. Attempting to call out mentally only made the pain in her head worse. It took her a moment longer to shut out the thoughts of others manually. She did, and thereafter, she was able to get her bearings. She blinked against the glare of the morning sun and saw the most beautiful sight, Eric. He was seated at her bedside, his hair was down and tousled. His face was just as handsome and his smile was utterly devastating.

"I agree my smile is utterly devastating."

Sookie kept her joy in check because she couldn't believe that she could truly have it all, not after a quarter century of hell. She didn't want to believe that she had been granted the one thing she wanted more than anything, forever with her mate.

"It worked," she whispered in awe. "We don't have to say goodbye again?"

He smirked and it was so cheeky that she couldn't stand it. She pounced on him, and he turned the tides, using strength that he hadn't had since his past life. He pinned her down to the bed, looming over her as he had done so many times before, except Sookie could feel the difference. He wasn't vampire. He wasn't human. He felt exactly like one half of all that she was.

"Well, it depends on how a telepath feels about getting her mind read by her very soon to be husband?"

* * *

**Epilogue**

Ten years later…

Eric was painting in the studio. In the vast palace of Oklahoma, this was the smallest room. It was perfect. In this idyllic space, he was able to bridge his undead past when he had been a thousand-year-old, badass, Viking vampire, Sheriff and his future with his badass, hybrid wife.

He had been down here for hours when Sookie finally came home. He didn't hear her. He just felt it as that deep sense of ease and longing settled over his skin. That broke the trance he had been in for the past four hours. He had washed his brushes and hands by the time she found him.

"Hiya handsome," she greeted, wrapping her hands around him from behind.

"Hi yourself, Queen girlfriend."

She still got a kick out of that title. Her face was buried in his back and he felt as she smiled. For several minutes, she just held him and he absorbed the difficulties of her night, filling it wordlessly with his love. Then he turned around and kissed her. It never took much to get him going. All she had to do was walk into a room and he hungered. It could be attributed to the bond, but it wasn't really different since the first time they'd been together.

Having her hands on him defined his pleasure as a man. Being inside her was his heaven. He dragged her to his workbench and like he had fantasized about so long ago, he got to rough up the pristine appearance of the Queen that the world saw. In this house she was just Sookie, his wife, his lover, and the mother of his child.

When the work bench no longer offered comfort, they left it for a warm bath. Soon Eric had his head resting in his wife's lap as they sat in front of the fire. They shared a late night snack, and she still ate more than he ever could in one sitting.

"How was your day, Lover?" He asked.

"Blah, blah, vampire emergency, blah. The usual," she yawned, and he smiled because she truly sounded bored to tears. "Where's Sin?"

Eric shrugged. He had no idea where their ten-year-old daughter was, despite the late hour of day. It was winter break from school. That meant she could be anywhere. It was hard enough for him to keep track of that girl with her ability to use her impeccable manners to get just about anyone to do anything for her. Having her mother's smile didn't hurt either.

"One of your oddball relatives kidnapped her around noon," he answered. "That's all I know."

The palace in Oklahoma and her grandfather's in Nevada were the safest places for Sin. So the people that often abducted her were clear to do so. The most troublesome was her biological grandfather and his twin of questionable mental standing. Fintan and Dermot often took his daughter gallivanting through other realms.

Sin came home one day talking about riding dragons and swimming with giant water butterflies. A strict prohibition on outer world field trips had been set. Eric had made a show of informing everyone, but in truth that had been enacted because of Dermot. The Faery violated it often, but to his credit, he tried to hide it. If that wasn't enough the Sky Prince, Niall could be found watching Sin from a distance.

With all that being said about the Fae relative, it wasn't meant to suggest that the vampire relatives were perfect either. One night when Sin was four, she was visiting with her sheriff uncle in Vegas while he and Sookie had been on vacation. They'd walked in on Sai telling Sin a bed time story. It went something like this:

"I cut off their noses, their fingers, and their toes," Sai said.

He must have tickled Sin, at least that was Eric's hope, because she laughed. "Then what happened, Uncle Sheriff?" Her voice was bright and eager and intrigued.

"Then I planted them and grew vampire trees."

"Vampires can't be trees! That's silly!"

"I will show you when next time I have to do this. All you have to do is dig a small hole that's deep and then you stick them in upside down."

"Ahh! I see now. That is very clever," Sin had said. "Then what happened to the trees? Did you water them so they would grow?"

There was a distinctively evil, yet affectionate laugh as the vampire replied, "Vampire trees don't grow, they burn."

She clapped her hands, clearly delighted by the tale. "I loved that story!" his daughter had enthused. "What did you do with the noses, fingers, and toes?"

Eric and Sookie interrupted at that point. They talked about their babysitting options that night. It was useless, Sin always requested Sai if he was around. When he wasn't, she wanted to fly or be teleported to him. When that wasn't possible, she called him. Basically, his daughter's favorite person was a vampire that terrified other vampires, and disliked both her parents immensely, Eric more than Sookie.

Sookie thought it was the universe having another laugh at her. Her daughter loved her least favorite sibling. There was no real explanation, but that was Sin though, like him she liked what she liked, and good luck trying to change her little ten-year-old mind because she was as stubborn as her mother.

Sookie swatted at Eric lazily, "You're one to talk! Do I have to remind you that I was the maid of honor for your childhood friend/ex-wife who was marrying my former fiancé? Not to mention she was my most hated enemy in her past life."

Eric rolled his eyes. In this one thing, his wife would never let him forget the favor she had done him, "It has been almost ten years since the wedding, and almost fifty years since she was the witch Queen, get over it, Lover."

"Do you remember the color of the dress?" She balked. "Ten years isn't nearly enough to forget, try a century."

He didn't mean to laugh because this was a real source of ire for her, but when Sookie frowned, she was still so fucking adorable.

"You looked like a lemon, a sexy lemon."

She punched him playfully, "I cannot believe she is Sin's Godmother."

No matter how many times Eric said that or how true it was, it still left him speechless. While his wife believed that the universe had a poor sense of justice, Eric didn't agree. The proof was in Free and Grayson. They were the perfect couple because no one would ever be able to put up with either of them in a relationship. Together they were the perfect blend of crazy. If that wasn't cosmic balance, truly, Eric didn't know what was.

"FIN," Sookie called.

"Your Grace, how may I be of service?"

"Find my little princess, please."

"Activating GPS for Princess Serafina Inez Northman," The Holo said.

The computer triangulated their daughter's location in under a minute. She was on Isla de sa Ferradura, at the family villa.

"Call outgoing, please hold."

Neither Eric nor his wife batted an eye that since they had last seen her, their daughter was now half a world away. The screen appeared against the wall via a holostrip. The lines connected and Eric was looking at a vampire that had a special kind of animosity toward him. Sookie had explained that when he was vampire himself they had fought and he had staked him. In the ten years that he was getting to relearn Sai, Eric thought that it wasn't so much the stake to the heart, but the loss that he couldn't forgive.

"Hey, big brother," Sookie greeted.

He must be a good mood, which was rare, because Sai returned her greeting with more than just a nod,

"Hello, Shy."

"Is Sin awake? I wanted to wish her goodnight or say good morning, rather."

He nodded, and turned his head to the side as he called their child. "Sin," he called. "You mother is calling."

Sin could be heard laughing while she ran toward the phone. She appeared on screen with her halo of blonde hair perfectly braided. It was more than Eric did before dropping her off at school. A lopsided ponytail was her signature do' if he was the one to send her off in the morning. There was a tiara on her head. It was subtle, a woven diadem with so many precious stones crushed into it that it threw a glare in the light of the island sun. Her dress was a soft green and most likely custom-made.

So yes, Sin was definitely with her vampire grandparent, Felipe. The King of Nevada always had enough people on hand to make Sin runway ready at every given moment that she was in his care. Sookie said he just couldn't help himself, the same way he couldn't help giving her jewelry that would shame a Queen since she was born.

Eric would never admit this to his wife, but he enjoyed the look of poorly-concealed horror when he sent his daughter to Felipe in play clothes and her hair a mess. Forever was a long time, and so he had to learn to enjoy the little things.

"Mommy, Daddy, hi!" She waved enthusiastically. Her smile was brighter than her tiara. "Are you guys cold?"

"It's not so bad," Sookie lied, smiling. "What are you doing all the way over there, shrimp?"

The smile on his wife's face was a special kind of smile, the same one she had worn the day she had told him he was going to be a father. It was just her smile for Sin. Eric knew it was hard for his wife, not being home all the time. The truth was he knew her. She couldn't stop being a Queen. That had always been her destiny and he believed his had always been to aid her, as vampire or as an immortal.

Sin laughed, "I will have you know that I am tall for my age and to answer your question, Majesty, I am swimming in the ocean and not freezing my fangs off!"

Sin beamed a beatific smile at Sai. Eric saw that he almost came within a fraction of an inch of smiling, but must have realized he wasn't alone with her, so he didn't. Eric listened to his wife talk to their daughter. There wasn't much to catch up on. Sin saw her mother, even if she had to call her and disrupt her day. She saw her.

It allowed her to have a normal childhood, even though nothing about her was average. Eric wanted her to have that center. He was the only one. No one saw anything wrong with buying a five year old a jet. He was the only one who forced Sin to go to school. She needed the experience with human beings. The kid had Faeries that took her to alternate worlds. She traveled the world on private jets. She hung around ancient vampires. She hung out with hybrids. Not just he and his wife, but the vampires of California. Sin needed that one thing to give her a semblance of normalcy because everything else about her was extraordinary. When she was on holiday, she could do whatever she wanted and they had to let her.

"You need to eat food, Sin, not just blood," Eric warned as they prepared to hang up. "I'll know if you don't eat."

Eric knew that his daughter was a miserable grump when she didn't eat enough solid food. She growled and flashed fang for no good reason. She wanted nothing to do with the sun and she was paler than normal.

"The woman beside you is proof that I care for my own," The King of Nevada said. He scooped Sin up, kissing her face, then setting her on his lap.

"Nim is the only one that makes her eat solid food," Sookie corrected. "He was the only one that used to make me eat."

The King smiled and it conveyed so many things, the least of which being that he was complicit in the spoiling of a Princess.

"Ola, mija."

"Hi Daddy," Sookie greeted.

"Your Majesty."

"Northman."

That was pretty standard between Eric and his vampire-father-in-law. Sookie had also explained the history there. It wasn't easy. The vampire Eric had been had been a severe pain in his ass for so long that it would take more than a decade to overcome his reservations, perhaps it would take another thousand years. It didn't matter because this was his family, and he wasn't going anywhere, no matter what.

"We love you, Sin," Sookie said. "Have a good day."

"Love you, too!" She said.

Eric heard someone call out Sin's name. It was probably Nim and without another word, his daughter bolted off her grandfather's lap. Felipe turned and his glare was so heated and disapproving that she must have felt it. Sin returned, said a proper goodbye, and nodded deeply. She waited to be dismissed before she ran off.

"I will be leaving here in two days' time," The King said with a smile. "She is contemplating visiting with her God brother so she may ride with me and I will drop her off in California. If not, I have coordinated with the Faeries, they will have her. I reminded them that she is prohibited from off world travel but…"

They would probably take her off world anyway.

Sookie and her father talked business for a few moments. Eric wasn't ashamed to say that he wasn't the least bit interested. That was one of the things that he had been worried he would struggle with in this new life. He wasn't a vampire sheriff and politics were no longer a part of his day to day.

The Line he married into was just too powerful that they had few enemies. Deep down, he knew it was because he no longer wanted a part in it. It had been losing its interest long before he ever met his wife. His telekinetic abilities had returned with more force than when he was undead, but he lived a different life. He couldn't be happier.

Sookie said her goodbyes with her father. Then she attempted to track down Fintan and his twin. It was another stroke of bad luck that Sin loved them and they adored her. They were the weak links and they didn't hide it. Sin knew it. The fact that they were not answering meant that Sin was going to be off world and there was nothing anyone could do about it. In the interest of sticking to their word, Eric knew that they still had to act shocked and annoyed. At this point, it was a joke.

"Your daughter is a real pain in the ass," his wife murmured as they settled into bed.

"How come she's only my daughter when she's being a pain your ass?" Eric asked, half knowing the answer, but not wanting to admit it.

"The same way she's only my daughter when she's a pain in yours."

He smiled as he wrapped himself around her, "Fair enough, but a word of warning; if she grows to be half as stubborn as her mother, I'm making a run for it."

She scoffed lazily, "Good luck with that, Handsome."

Sookie nestled closer and Eric held her tighter. He kissed her head. In no time at all, she was asleep and the sun was rising, and he basked in the truth of his parting words to her. Their life wasn't what either of them had imagined when they'd met so many years ago. Then Eric had been a powerful telekinetic thousand-year-old vampire sheriff and Sookie his amnesic telepathic mate. It had taken them three lifetimes and almost four decades to find their happily ever after, and he would never let it go.

The End.

* * *

A very special thanks to . Not only was she my eagle eye on this last installment, she has been there since T'n'T was just an idea. She helped me shape and hone it into a trilogy. It was hard…so hard especially the second story. She helped me forge through. Of course I was stuck with this last story but again she helped me push through. Thank, her! I have ideas and a desire to tell stories but if not for her, it wouldn't come to be.

I am glad that this happy ending came to be because there were times when even I wondered, worried and feared for these characters. I am happy to be here, to meet and smile with all of the loyal readers at this, 'happily ever after'.

I'm not done. Join me as I explore the original characters that I added to make this FF epic as it was. All of Shy's brothers will get a story at least that is my wish. I have already begun working and I hope that you will all join me.

Until next time ladies and gents...


End file.
